I Will Defy
by Rook837
Summary: "You're just another Ionian coward, too weak to stand on you own, but too proud to bow down. I can see it, plain as day, and now... everyone else can too."
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE: The following story takes place three years ago in the year 20 CLE (2010 real life time).**

**If you would like up-to-date information and some interaction with me, check out my thread on North America's League of Legend's Fanfiction section! I absolutely would love some posts, and anything from little comments, questions, or even reviews are welcome!  
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**Thanks for reading! ^_^**

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Chapter One

I sit in one of my school's old storage closets, now turned into a makeshift testing room, waiting for the unknown. My hands tremble and my heart races as nervous anxiety claws into me. A weight seems to have settled on my chest, and my breaths come out ragged and uneven. It seems almost impossible that such a bland room would be able to strike so much fear into someone.

I take a deep breath, trying to pull myself together. I know that sitting here, worrying about this test won't help me, but the fear is relentless. Maybe if I distract myself with other thoughts, I'll be able to relax. I take another look around the room, searching for something to catch my attention.

The grey brick room is decently sized, and the metal table I sit at occupies the center of it, with a second wooden chair resting across from me. The dim light from a lantern on the wall shines on a mirror hanging from the door a few feet behind the same chair. My eyes catch my reflection in the mirror, and I am reminded yet again that Noxus is in complete control of my life now, even down to what I wear. My school uniform doesn't look like anything else worn in Ionia, or the rest of Valoran for that matter. I guess it falls under the 'Imperial' style of clothes, an ugly, yet robust fashion that most Noxian prefer to wear these days.

The top half of my outfit consists of a button up blouse made of white cloth with a dark black blazer buttoned over it. The blazer is decorated with a crimson trim, and matching stripes run in intricate patterns along the back. A small red emblem sits over my heart, which depicts the three Ionian provinces currently occupied by Noxus. The rest of my school uniform follows a similar trend, a short black and red trimmed skirt, thick black stockings, and shiny black formal shoes.

The outfit itself isn't the part that bothers me, it's what it represents. I was two years old when Noxus invaded my province, so I never got to actually wear the traditional Ionian clothes to school, but I've worn them to festivals and at other special occasions. They feel a lot more comfortable and modest. They also look natural and casual on people, but these mechanically mass produced outfits... they only remind me of everything Noxians have done to us. Done to _me_.

"_You're just another Ionian coward, too weak to stand on you own, but too proud to bow down. I can see it, plain as day, and now... everyone else can too."_

A sharp pain flashes through my head and snakes down my spine as I force _those_ memories out of my head. I can't lose control now. The past doesn't dictate the future. I need to calm down, so I look back into the mirror, ignoring my clothes this time, and look at my general features.

My looks are normal for an Ionian girl, a slender face covered by long, straight black hair and long bangs. My deep blue eyes peer back at me, slightly bigger than other Ionian's. Some of my friends have told me that my slender build and soft face make me look elegant and beautiful, almost like a princess, but I personally think I'm just average looking. Maybe its just one of those things though, and no one really looks good to themselves. Or maybe...

Before my thoughts can trail off, I hear footsteps approaching the door. I can feel myself involuntarily tense up, but I try my best to look calm and not like I'm about to lose my lunch. The handle turns and a teacher wearing loose blue robes enters. He is of average height, with an aged face covered by a trimmed grey beard and long hair. I think I have seen him somewhere before, but I can't be sure. He looks both ways down the hall before closing the door and taking a seat across from me.

His dull brown eyes fall on me, and he says nothing for awhile. My heart pounds loud enough that I'm sure he can hear it, and I fiddle my thumbs nervously, not really sure what to do. Finally though, he begins speaking in a quiet, ancient voice.

"I can't be sure how much time we have to talk, so I apologize for cutting directly to the point. I'm sure you've heard many rumors about this test and are feeling very scared right now, but I need you to listen very carefully. I'm not supposed to be here right now, and _he_ should be here any moment, so we need to hurry. First of all, do you know why you're here?"

I blink at the sudden intensity of his tone, trying to form a coherent thought. His seriousness seems to confirm my worst fears, but deep inside I still secretly hope the rumors aren't true. They _can't_ be true. I clear my throat before responding.

"I'm here to take a test that will reveal whether or not I have any magical talent, and if I do, how strong it is," I answer shakily. He nods reassuringly at me.

"You are correct. Ever since Noxus took over the three Ionian provinces, they have imposed a rule that any sixteen year old born here must take a "Magical Aptitude Test". At first glance, this test seems designed only to figure out who can use magic, and their potential. They say it's so young mages can have the proper guidance and tutoring to expand their talent."

Maybe it's not as bad as I thought then, if they only want to know if I can use magic. Could I really have been wrong about all Noxians being heartless? I mean, maybe it was just the few I've met so far. Maybe-

"However, this is not the case."

My heart sinks.

"Noxus wants to keep Ionia weak because weak people are easy to control. Think about their culture. They train their sons and daughters for combat, politics, and manipulation from the day that they're born. Ionia teaches history, math, and strives for enlightenment. The only people who could possibly pose a threat to them are the mages, those who can bend reality to their will. People like _you_,"

The silence afterwards stretches into an eternity with every racing heartbeat. I swallow, my throat suddenly dry, trying to say something. _Anything_.

"How did you know?" I manage to whisper out.

"Rumors, as I'm sure you know, get around. I've heard the tales of the magic you've used and how your spells seem to take the heat out of everything around them. Even you." He sighs impatiently, waving a hand. "How I know is besides the point though. The thing that really matters is what happens to the people who are found to be able to use magic during this test."

"They kill them don't they?" I blurt out, the fear finally breaking my wall silence. "That's why people disappear during this test. They wait until the test shows that they can use magic and then..." I trail off as he starts shaking his head.

"They don't do anything so obvious," he says, in a tired voice. "If the test shows that someone can use magic, they send them off to military training to become a Noxian battlemage," He says, stopping to see my reaction. I don't really understand, so I just stare blankly back and he sighs.

"Let me rephrase that. They send children, who have no idea how to fight, to go and train amongst Noxian candidates who have been prepared their whole lives to kill. These same children, are expected to fight against each other to simulate combat. Accidents tend to happen... especially to the Ionian recruits. Ionians sent to that training… well…"

"We don't stand a chance," I whisper, realization flashing through my mind. Being put up against a Noxian recruit was a death sentence. They wouldn't hold back against an Ionian, someone who they've been trained to hate all their lives. I've seen what happens when Noxians challenge Ionians to duels before. We didn't stand a chance. They would make sure we didn't leave that training alive.

The teacher nods at me gravely and continues in a quiet voice.

"One thing everyone knows is that Noxus has no use for the weak. Whether it's a dual initiated by another recruit, or a "training accident", not a single Ionian student I know has survived being sent there."

The cold hard logic of this death trap sinks into me. It's ingenious, really. Noxus can only control us if we are weak and unwilling to fight back. An Ionian mage would be able to stand up to them, and killing a Ionian, a kid no less, would raise an uproar. So they just had to get creative. I _know_ Noxus hates Ionia, but making a test to kill students with magic is just... cold. Colder than I once thought possible. I should know better by now.

The teacher stares at me in the silence that follows, folding his hand together.

"There's still hope though. There are potentially two options for you to choose from. The first would be to try and hide your abilities. This test measure magical energy, but if you can manage to focus on something boring, and control your emotions and power, it won't detect anything. Someone with your talent should have no trouble doing it, if they rumors about you are true."

I bite my lip nervously. What he says makes sense, but I've practiced using my power almost every single day since I learned about it, and I still have trouble controlling it. My discipline and focus are great, it's just that my natural power is... deep. I've tried to find out how deep many times before, but it always just feels as if I'm drowning in an endless sea. How am I supposed to hide _that_ much power?

"The other option is to try and pass the test."

My eyes shoot up from the table to him. It never even occurred to me that like all tests, there had to be a way to pass. This has to be the answer. I lean forward, listening closely.

"You see, they only send you to the military if you have a small amount of talent. However, Even Noxus thinks it would be a waste to send someone with lots of talent to military training. If you pass the test, they send you to a private academy to train you to become a summoner. The League of Legends only accepts the best of the best, so many city states have created academies to help train mages to become the perfect candidates. One such academy has recently been opened here in Ionia by Noxus."

I try to wrap my brain around what he is saying, but everything seems to be happening too fast. The very idea of someone like me becoming a summoner is ridiculous. I'm good with magic, but not _that_ good. Even if I could pass, is that what I want? Wouldn't that mean leaving my family behind? And how could becoming a summoner be any easier than surviving as a battle mage?

My racing thoughts come to a screeching halt as I hear loud, steady footsteps coming down the hallway. The teacher hisses out a breath, and continues hurriedly in a whisper.

"As exciting as that option seems, I urge you not to do it. I have never seen a student pass this test. Not only that, but the students at that academy would mostly be Noxians and would still try to destroy you. I urge you to try and hide your talents. Just remember the meditation techniques you've been taught and control your emotions. I'll be here the whole time, so just stay calm, and focus,"

With that, he stands up and leans against the wall, making it look like he just arrived.

The door opens and a man wearing black and red robes walks in, a pointed hood shrouding his face. He glances at the other teacher before he closes the door and takes a seat. He sets a blue glass orb with runes etched into its surface on the table, pulling out a leather book from his pocket. He looks to the Ionian teacher.

"I trust you didn't begin without me?" He rasps out.

"Of course not,"

The Noxian seems skeptical as he turns back to me. I briefly catch a glimpse of his features when he turns. He has a gaunt face with spiky black hair and cold brown eyes. I realize he can't be more than a few years older than me, but his merciless eyes make him look much older. He catches my gaze with his own, and I suppress a shiver.

"Well then, let us begin. My name is Zerick Ashford, but you can just call me Zerick. And, of course, this is Mr. Grant." He says, gesturing to the Ionian teacher. "You are here as per Noxian law. Every sixteen-year-old is to be tested for magical talent so they may be taught properly on how to best make use of their abilities. Do you understand so far?"

I nod, trying to look calm. I don't have much time left before the test, but I can't seem to relax. My hands clench into fists underneath the table as I think over my choices. The only thing that is clear is that no matter what I choose, I must decide quickly. Zerick raises a pencil to his book and begins writing.

"Alright then. Let's start with a few simple questions. Name?"

"Aria Kessler," I manage somewhat steadily.

"Where were you born and how many immediate family members do you live with?"

"I was born and raised here in Sakara City. I currently live with my mother and brother," I shift my eyes to the floor. I mean, that was technically the truth. Even though Akira lived with us, he wasn't blood-related.

"What about your father?" He asks, looking up at me.

"He died before I was born," I lie, keeping my eyes on the floor. He actually died fighting during the Noxian invasion, but something about this man makes my skin tingle. It feels like it would be a bad idea to tell the truth, so I lie, hoping I seem convincing.

He nods slowly, looking back to his book, and I let out a silent breath I didn't know I was holding.

"And, as far as you know, do you have any magical talent?" He asks, his eyes never straying from the book.

My heart races, and time slows to a crawl. I look up at Mr. Grant's eyes. They reflect fear, and I realize he looks almost as scared as I feel. Almost. Something finally seems to click in my mind after seeing him. If I answer Zerick truthfully, at least I will be choosing my own fate, not leaving it up to chance. I cannot, I _will_ not, let someone choose what I become. _Never_. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, and answer.

"Yes," I reply, my voice coming out surprisingly confident. Zerick looks at me carefully in the silence that follows, his dark, beady eyes taking new interest in me from underneath his hood. Mr. Grant slumps against the wall, looking defeated, like my fate is already decided. But it hasn't been. Not yet.

Zerick resumes speaking. "How strong would you say your talents are then? For example, are you naturally talented, or have you just recently learned you can use magic?"

I lick my suddenly dry lips before responding. "I've been able to use magic since I was eight, so I guess its natural."

He smiles at me, like a predator who has found its first meal of the day. Or like, you know, a Noxian.

"Well I suppose we shall have to see just how good you are then, won't we? Please explain to the girl what she will be attempting, Mr. Grant," He says, getting up from his chair to lean against the wall by the door. Mr. Grant clears his throat, stepping forward as he waves a hand at the orb on the table.

"This is a viewing orb, which is used to watch the matches broadcasted by the League of Legends. Normally, and orb would be fueled by magic from one of Runeterra's many ley lines. In case you didn't know, ley lines are invisible, underground, magical "rivers" that flow throughout the world. Recently, the League has started using crystals to divert these ley lines to the surface, creating wells of energy. This allows people to power magical equipment with only a minor talent of their own. In fact..."

Zerick clears his throat impatiently, and Mr. Grant raises a hand apologetically towards him. All of this sounds familiar, mostly because I've read a few books on it in school. One of my teachers had explained that discovering ley lines was huge, because it allowed anyone to use tools previously only accessible to mages. Mr. Grant clears his throat, and continues on.

"There are currently no ley lines fueling this orb. That means all of the energy has to come from you. You will also have to make sure the energy is focused, so the images come out clearly. If done correctly, this orb will create a clear image of an ongoing league match. Do you understand so far?"

I give a shaky nod as the Zerick looks up from underneath his hood, obviously impatient with Mr. Grant's progress, so he takes over.

"You will be graded on the visual clarity of the spell, and how long you can maintain it. The spell is designed to require more energy as time goes on which will make your test take slightly less time," he rasps, smiling at me. I shiver under his icy gaze, and look into the seemingly inconspicuous orb that has now become the hinge on which my life will turn.

"Begin whenever you are ready," Mr. Grant says staring at me somberly. I bite my lip.

"Umm..." I begin to say, but Zerick lets out an impatient sigh, glaring at me and causing me to freeze in my tracks.

"S-sorry, but I was wondering whether or not you wanted me to create the spell with direct contact with the orb, or from a distance," I say, my voice wobbling only slightly.

They both stare blankly at me for a few moments. Triumph flares through me as I realize they didn't expect me to know anything about magic, but I'm probably more prepared for this test than anyone else. My training and knowledge has to give me some sort of advantage, and I figure this might be it. After a few seconds though, a huge grin spreads over Zerick's face and my triumph swiftly fades to doubt.

"Well, normally we would have the student put their hands in direct contact, so that if they had any magic, their emotions would act as fuel and activate the orb. Considering you already have told me you can use magic, I'm willing to let you use whichever method you prefer. Creating and fueling a spell from a distance requires a lot more effort, so if you can pull it off, I'll give you higher marks" he rasps out in a chilly voice.

I jerk my head in a nod and slowly rise from the chair. My legs feel like jelly, but I manage not to fall. I walk to the very back of the room and turn to face the orb, now resting a few feet away from me. I then raise my right hand and close my eyes.

There are two basic steps to creating any spell. The first is to create an imaginary framework which includes figuring out how much energy the spell will need, what you want it to do, and how the spell will function. I could skip this step though, because the orb was already enchanted, giving a permanent framework. So that left the second step, which was calling up and focusing the energy required.

Magical energy can come from three different places. First of all, you can take it from the environment to help power the spell. This lets you power things without using your own energy, but it can take a lot of focus to control and shape it into a usable form, which can tire someone out quickly. I dismiss that option immediately.

The second place is from your blood itself. Every mage has a certain amount of magical power within them that grows as they use more spells and become stronger. This energy is commonly referred to as mana. Mana is easily controlled and formed into spells, but you only have so much of it before it has to regenerate. It's sort of a mage's "latent" energy, the power they can access at any time. I would definitely use my mana, especially considering just how much I have, but there is one other thing I could call on. The third power source. Emotions.

I take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly and focusing on nothing but my heartbeat. A book I once read summarized that magic was simply willing something into creation because you wanted it bad enough. Therefore, emotions were the perfect place to get power from. Emotions generate a _lot_ of energy, but the downside is it's very hard to control that energy. If emotions are put into a poorly controlled spell, it can cause disastrous side effects. The only thing is, I don't need to worry about the spell breaking. The orb's enchanted, so I only have to worry about controlling the energy when it's called forth.

I began gathering my power with just calling up my mana. I imagine it as all the veins in my body lighting up with energy, and I push until the light is burning as brightly as possible throughout me, like thin crisscrossing lines of lightning. I've never tried to call up all my mana at the same time before, and now that I have I realize I've forgotten something. Controlling magic, whether its casting spells or just directing it, takes a toll on the mage's body. Calling up this much magic and trying to channel it would tire me out fast, and if I wasn't careful... No. It's way too late to worry about that now, I have to go all in. The mana finally finishes welling up, a web work of blazing energy flowing through my veins.

Now I reach into my emotions, imagining that the magic will fill up all the gaps in the web. I reach out into my fear of failing this test, and my fear of succeeding and having to leave my family, and pour it into the spell. Next, my doubt and anxiety. I begin to feel the energy humming throughout my body, but it still isn't enough for me, so I reach into my memories. Not the good ones either. The _strong_ ones. The nightmares that keep me awake at night.

I recall the horror of the Noxian night raids on rebels within the city, the bitterness and sorrow that followed the news of my father's death, and the images of blood stained streets littered with corpses that were once my neighbors. Mothers and fathers being hauled off to labor camps, and starving children being beaten just for trying to survive.

Some good memories somehow sneak in too, almost like the warmth of a campfire on a cold night. The loving hugs of my mother, and her compassion of taking in a kid who had his parents ripped away. The kid growing up to be my best friend, more of a second brother really. My actual brother and him standing up not just to protect me, but taking the burdens of all the other Ionian students on their shoulders.

Then I stumble upon the nauseatingly fresh memories, scalding hot and raw. The happiness of making my first Noxian friend at school. Our shared secret. Our unexpected friendship growing, then suddenly turning bitter and shattering. His face as he walked away, and my regret.

The betrayal, and all the events of _that_ day follow closely behind. The overcast sky that gave way to cold, misting rain. The smell of mud mixed with my own blood, and the helplessness and sheer terror. Being hunted. The struggle to simply breathe, let alone stand up and walk home. The shame, pity, and above all the loneliness that followed. The determination that I would never be that helpless again, and the bitter happiness of my brother's revenge. Of _my _revenge.

I reach out to all of this, and the energy swells within me, so powerful it _hurts_. It spreads throughout my whole body, filling it to the brim with sheer, burning hot power. My skin grows even colder as the energy seems to suck in even my body heat, desperate to get every ounce of power it can get its hands on, like a starving man devouring food… or a girl fighting to save her life.

I open my eyes. A deep purple aura now surrounds my body, a side effect of so much power being willed into creation at once. I feel my eyes glitter with energy as I look into the orb. I vaguely notice Mr. Grant is standing with his eyes wide and mouth dropped open. Zerick appears much the same, and has dropped his leather book and pencil to the ground. Between me raising up my hand and then calling up so much power, only a few brief seconds have passed. I'm not done impressing them yet though.

I reach out with my mind, focusing on the orb. The enchantment "feels" like a sphere with paths branching out in all directions, like an ancient tree's roots. I imagine a path being opened between my hand and the core of the orb, and the energy I've gathered suddenly snaps out into it. I gasp at the intensity of the surge, and grind my teeth, forcing it into a controlled stream.

The orb reacts the instant the invisible pathway is opened. It shoots up to about eye level, and shines brightly for half a second, forming a shining cube of light around it. As I rally my focus, the cube flashes into a condensed form. I dimly see that on each of the faces of the cube, a clear picture of the same League match is being shown, with the spectator heads-up-display and everything. I quickly shut out the noise and go back to concentrating on the spell. I know that If I try to watch or listen to the match, the spell will quickly slip out of my control. I do notice that the aura around me is gone though, only appearing around my outstretched right hand.

I also notice the searing hot power I had gathered has slowly lessened. It's still there, but now that it has an outlet, it steadily surges through the open conduit. It's a constant struggle to continually remember my emotions, especially my stronger ones with their smoldering intensity, and I find myself clenching my left hand around my right wrist, redoubling my efforts. I have to pass this test. There is no backing out now. I can't lose. I _will not_ lose.

Time passes slowly. The sheer amount of work I am putting into this spell takes its toll quickly though, and I find myself sweating after what feels like a few short moments. The amount of concentration to just control the spell and all of my energy is tremendous. The spell's a lot more complex than I thought it would be, and I realize that without the orb acting as a focus, I would normally have no chance of putting together a spell this complex. The energy within me begins to no longer completely fill every ounce of my body, and as the energy fades, fatigue settles in. My hand and legs now shake and only a dim trickle of energy remains within me.

I don't know how much more time passes, but it doesn't feel like much. I need to hold out longer. Sweat drips down my brow, and a few stray strands of hair stick to my face. I gasp for each breath, fighting to simply breathe. I can't fail, not now. I have to survive. I groan, my teeth grinding together as my legs struggle to hold me up.

Suddenly, I feel the last mote of energy leave me, snapping away like a bowstring. I gasp in pain, shattering my concentration, and ending the spell. My legs go limp and I fall, but someone manages to catch me. Through blurry eyes, I see Zerick slam open the door and sprint down the hall. I slowly turn to look at the person holding me, Mr. Grant, I think. He is saying something nice and reassuring to me as he sets me down against the wall, leaning my back against it.

I try to mumble my thanks, but my mouth seems numb and heavy and it doesn't come out clearly. I feel like I am forgetting something important, so I close my eyes for a second, to try and remember, but the world quickly dissolves away into blissful nothingness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sunlight glares into my eyes, forcing me to squint from where I stand. The sun sits in its usual afternoon position, marking the end of yet another school day. Summer has arrived, and today had been blazing hot, with a consistent breeze to stop the heat from being unbearable. Well, that would have been the case, if it weren't for the wretched sun glaring through the window right where I sat all day.

I sigh. If I just arrive at school a little earlier, I probably could get a seat in a nicely shaded part of the room. The fact that I'm almost late to school every day probably doesn't help though. I couldn't help it, I mean, it isn't _my_ fault we leave so late… usually. I lean myself on the old wooden railing, making it shift slightly underneath me, and look out onto the courtyard.

I stand near at corner of the old wooden catwalk that surrounds the second floor of the school building. The school itself is simple enough, two stories of grey brick and a slanted roof. Its shape is similar to a 'U', except blocky, almost like three separate rectangles were shoved together in a rough imitation. The only outstanding part is the courtyard garden area inside of the 'U', filled with cherry trees, smooth stones, and a few small little ponds. Rocks outline the perimeter of the entire courtyard except for a lone pathway that cuts through the middle, leading from the school entrance at the bottom of the 'U', to the exit at the top.

The courtyard is usually where most students gather to hang out due to its natural shade and beautiful scenery, but only a few people are left this long after school. It's easy to see them all from how high up the catwalk is. Two girls a year under me chat as they head along the path to the outside streets, a classmate of mine meditates by a pond far across from me, and just to my left an unfamiliar boy lays against a tree in a small clearing, facing the rocks underneath me.

The boy near me chose a good spot, right in the corner of the courtyard. I call it the rock garden, due to all the different stones surrounding an ancient cherry tree in the center of the clearing. Original, right? The clearing has just enough space for four or five people to sit down in the shade provided by the old tree. Usually it's pretty secluded, mostly due to the difficulty in finding the makeshift path to it.

I had found it accidentally, when I was leaning against the catwalk barrier like I'm doing now. It took a few more days of searching to find a good path there though, even with a bird's eye view. It's a great spot, but it looks like I'll have to find a new one now, or I'll run the risk of having to share it with him. It isn't that big of a deal, and some things just aren't worth fighting for. I let out another tired sigh. It was just going to be one of _those_ days, I guess. Especially with what was coming next.

I feel a soft tap on my left shoulder and I know it's time. I turn, already imagining what I will see. The same old shadowy corner, with the same old people preparing to fight over some trivial matter. All of it feels oddly nostalgic though, right down to the uneasiness in my stomach and the worry etched in my bones. I should be used to this by now, but I'm not. Not yet, anyway.

I look into the shadowy alcove, ignoring the person who tapped me on the shoulder for now, and wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. The three rectangles of the school buildings don't actually touch, which leaves a small space in what would be the corners of the 'U'. The second floors of the building are still connected by stone, but to help segregate the segments, no walls to connect the buildings were built, leaving a small alcove with a stone floor, covered by the roof. This is where most of the fights took place, just like the one that was about to happen.

Standing in the alcove are five other students. Three are near one wall to my left, standing with casual arrogance and contempt usual to the Noxian students. They do their best to look bored as they chat amongst themselves, showing no signs of anxiety about the fight coming up. The shadows cover their features, making them appear similar except for their hair and height. One has spiked blond hair and is of average height and the other two are slightly taller, both with black hair. One wears it in a short, military style, while the other's is medium length and shaggy. All three of them wear the same black and red uniform I do except with long black pants.

They go to the same school as me, which is how this problem started in the first place. With the provinces falling under possession of Noxus at the war's end, many Noxians rushed to get their hands on all the new positions of power that opened up. They took any important job they could find, from guards to governors, and they didn't stop there. They brought their families with them too, including their children.

Our school was actually built to accommodate this fact, hence the three separate buildings making up the school. The rectangular wing on the right side was made for Noxian classrooms, the left one for Ionian, and the connecting center building for administrative offices and other necessary rooms. Even with the purpose of segregating the students, it was pretty much inevitable that fights would break out. Conflict was the foundation of Noxian culture. If you had a problem that needed to be settled in Noxus, you're expected to just challenge someone to a duel. The winner of the duel also won the argument, and any other wagers riding on the duel.

That tradition didn't die out in Ionia. In fact, it became even more brutal. At first, the Noxian students walked all over us, challenging us to duels at the slightest provocation. Accepting the duel guaranteed a beat down, and refusing was worse. Refusing was deemed cowardly, and you lost any right to a fair fight. Anyone could beat a coward up whenever they wanted, according to their sadistic rules. That was how it worked though, and they didn't care if we knew the rules or not. It wasn't uncommon for six or seven Ionians to be beat up in a single day. It took awhile before we learned the rules to this sick new game. But soon after, we got lucky and figured _it_ out. A loophole. The _only_ loophole.

With my eyes finally adjusted to the shadows, I look to the person who tapped me on the shoulder. He stands at the edge of the shadows, slightly to my right, with a bored look on his face. He is tall and skinny, a runner's build, and our school's uniform hangs loosely on him, obviously a size too big. Akira Light stares at me a few seconds before a slight smile begins to play on his face.

"What?" I ask flatly. How very eloquent of me. It may have come out a little more sharp than I intended, but he takes no notice.

"Nothing," he says, still almost smiling beneath his medium length brown hair. "You just always look like you're lost right before one of these duels. Kind of like when I help you with your math homework."

"You're one to talk," I retort. "You always look as bored as that one time I explained a League match to you," We both begin to walk over to the side across from the Noxians, ignoring their scowls and talking loud enough to drown out their whispering. The distance to the last person isn't far, so we make sure to walk as slow as possible, trying to make ourselves look unworried. I guess ticking off the Noxians wouldn't be the worst thing either.

"Pssh, like I need help understanding a simple game," he says, his grin becoming more genuine… well, almost anyway.

"Then what's the point of Inhibitors?" I glance at him suspiciously, poking his arm.

"That's obvious of course. They uh...inhibit things...and...stuff," he glances down at his old watch desperately, looking for an escape route. "I would go into more detail but I wouldn't want to keep our challenger waiting," He finishes slyly, and we finally reach the last figure, who is also clad in our school's uniform. He looks up at us underneath close cropped black hair with a grin plastered on his face.

"She bring up the League again?" my brother asks, green eyes glittering.

"She did," he sniffs disdainfully. "But I refused to take part in petty squabbling and let her win,"

"Oh you let her win, did you? You sir, are quite the gentlemen."

"Don't forget the scholar part, Zane. And I'm quite humble, too," he says, glancing back at the impatient Noxians. The humor slowly fades from the air as we begin sizing up the Noxian side, our smiles replaced with neutral masks. Hopefully our casualness will have put them off their game slightly. First impressions were important, after all.

The banter between the three of us comes naturally. Akira isn't technically blood related to Zane and I, but you wouldn't know it by the way we act. When he was little, his parents were shipped off to a Noxian work camp, leaving him orphaned on the streets. My mother had taken him in, and the three of us had grown up as siblings ever since. He's only one year older than me, same as my brother, so we all all get along very well. He's the only person I trust as much as my brother.

"The new kid is the challenger, right? Damon something-or-another?" Zane asks, sizing him up. I nod, also observing the kid in question. The one with the spiked blond hair steps away from his two friends, moving towards the middle of the two sides, smirking with absolute confidence. The shadows shift over his face, all jagged features and hungry brown eyes. He stops and crosses his arms, waiting for us to approach.

Zane lets out a sigh, and slowly takes off his blazer, leaving him in a white button up shirt. He hands Akira the blazer and rolls up his sleeves, never taking his eyes off the Noxian. I bite my lip as I watch him, fear beginning to claw into my belly. Zane seems to notice my gaze and gives me a smile, taking a small step towards me.

"Hey," he whispers softly. "Don't worry about me. I know its hard to tell, but I've done this a few times before," he jokes. He really shouldn't be taking his time to comfort me. It might make him look weak to the Noxians.

"It's just..." I stop, searching for words. "Do you have to... you know... go through the whole routine?"

"You know I do. I've never fought him before, and we need to know how he fights. You're even the one who came up with this plan," he says, letting the silence settle in for a while. "So what's really the problem?"

"I just don't want you to get hurt." I say, looking to the floor. Why do I have such a bad feeling about this? Something just doesn't feel right.

"Oh ye of little faith," he says smiling, gently pulling me into a hug. "I won't lose. Promise."

He doesn't get it, but I don't bother arguing, so I just hold him tightly. Of course I know he won't lose... but what will the price of victory be today? He doesn't think Akira and I notice, but we do. He pushes himself so hard, bearing the burden of being guardian, always training, always fighting, all because of other people's dumb mistakes. Even mine.

The loophole we had found so long ago, the one that had allowed Ionians to be able to avoid duels, was all possible because of Zane. The rules stated that anyone challenged to a duel was allowed to select someone to champion for them, a single guardian. That was the first part of the loophole.

The second part was that the rules said that everyone was limited to two duels per day. By those rules, if Zane accepted every duel against an Ionian, they could only make him fight two of those challenges everyday, and by the next day, he would hopefully be ready to fight again. So even if he accepted thirty challenges, he could just fight two a day until they were all gone.

It had been... hard, at first, even though Zane is by far the strongest person in our school. Being the son of a blacksmith and top fighter in the martial arts club did that to you, I guess. Even with all that strength though, dueling every single day had taken its toll. Our plan eventually began working after awhile. He won every single duel, and the challengers slowly learned the futility of challenging Ionians. Why challenge someone when you knew they were just going to beat you? We still got challenged every once and awhile though, usually by someone new, like the guy he was about to fight right now.

We end our hug, and I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, nodding at him. He nods back, and we walk to the middle Zane stops just before he would cross to the Noxians' side, and I stop in the middle of them both, five steps to the side. The Noxian smiles cruelly at us, a metal ring flashing on his tongue as he begins to talk.

"I didn't know she was _your_ girlfriend, I thought she was the other guy's. Guess that explains why I'm fighting you and not him though," he says, every word dripping with scorn.

I fight not to roll my eyes, hiding the truth behind a blank face. My brother does much the same, not even flinching as he stares down the Noxian. The fact Zane and I are siblings is a well kept secret among us and our classmates, and for good reason. Knowledge like that would be used by the Noxians ruthlessly. Zane had only wanted to keep me safe when he suggested we shouldn't tell anyone, especially because of his status as 'guardian', but we hadn't realized it would cause so many... awkward assumptions. I clear my throat loudly, and begin speaking.

"As an official teacher's representative, I will be the referee for this fight. Does anyone have a problem with this?" I ask, expecting none. Noxians never objected, it would make them look weak after all, and my brother wasn't about to argue. I had made it clear to him that as long as he was guardian, the least he could do was let me be there at his fights, and he had been wise enough to yield that much to me. Neither of them say anything, so I continue.

"Damon Porter, you are the challenger and Zane is the guardian for the challenged, Akira Light. The reason for this dual is to determine which party was in the right of an argument. The argument began when Akira said you should show more respect to a fellow student, and you took offense and challenged him. Is this all correct?"

Damon nods stiffly. Usually the stating of the facts involved a lot more arguing, but It was hard to argue when the referee had seen everything actually happen. Well, technically, I was the _reason_ it had happened. I had been walking past Damon in the courtyard and he thought it would be funny to trip me. I had seen it coming and tried to avoid it, but my clumsy leather shoes ended up tripping me all the same. Akira had been walking with me and stood up for me, and that's how we got into this mess. Just another stupid rouse invented to start another stupid dual. Another plan hatched by Kor.

Kor was one of the other Noxians here today, the one with the shaggy black hair. Ever since we had started using the loophole, Kor had made it his mission to destroy us. It was obvious he was the ringleader behind the Noxian students. It hadn't been hard to figure out, him being at every duel but never actually fighting had made it kind of obvious. He wasn't the usual Noxian brute though, which was the scary part. He never says anything, and his cold eyes always seem aware, searching for a weakness to exploit.

I risk a glance at him, and regret it instantly. He stares at me with a level of intensity I've never felt before, his icy, almost black eyes searching for some unknown answer. His bodyguard Evan, the one with the military short hair, leans over and whispers something to him, causing Kor's eyes to narrow slightly. I suppress a shiver and look back to Zane. He seems to have noticed his gaze as well, but he just turns to me with a frown, nodding at me to continue. I take in a shaky breath.

"The rules for this duel will be the usual. You will both engage in unarmed combat until one of you is unable to continue or is willing to yield. The use of any other weapon is forbidden. If either of you sustain a serious injury, I will call a stop to the duel until it can be determined whether you are able to continue or not. My decision will be confirmed by one of the witnesses here. Questions?"

Silence answers, so I continue.

"Each of you will now take five steps back from each other. I will count down from ten, and when my arm drops, the duel will begin. Take your places now."

Both of them step back into their positions and I raise my arm high.

"Ten."

They both take their stances, Damon in a boxer's stance, arms high and closed fists, while my brother shifts so his side is facing his opponent, putting up his hands and leaving them open and loose.

"Nine."

Even though fights are fast, it won't be hard to keep track of who is who. Damon still wears our dark uniform blazer and has his contrasting spiked blond hair, while my brother is in his formal white button up, his sleeves rolled up to elbow height. Damon is also taller and lanky, while Zane is of average height and stocky. The muscles gained over years of work make up most of Zane's heavier build though, which does nothing to hamper his explosive speed.

"Eight."

Damon bounces on his toes a few times with an insane smile, eager to get started. Zane by comparison is calm and relaxed, staying slouched in his pose.

"Seven."

Logically, the fight should play out with Damon using his lighter weight and longer reach to deliver quick attacks and dodge in and out of Zane's range. Zane is strong enough that he just needs to close the range and land a few blows to dizzy him and then land a finisher. It won't play out like that though. Noxians don't fight logically, they fight _bravely_. That's what they would say, anyway.

"Six."

"I've heard you never lost a duel before," Damon says, all wild eyes. "Looks like I'll be the first to beat you."

"Five."

Zane shrugs. "I'll probably lose someday." His eyes seem to take on a frosted quality as he responds. "Not today though. Not today."

"Four."

"Ooh, scary!" Damon laughs. "Just don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because your girl's watching."

"Three."

"In fact, I think I'll beat you even worse now," he says, eyes glittering. "And once I'm done with you, I'm going after her next."

Zane seems to stiffen for a moment, then he lowers his head slightly, his voice taking on a darker tone. "You just made a big mistake."

"Two."

"Aww, did I hit a nerve?" Damon asks. "One little threat and you're too scared to fight?

"One."

Zane looks back up with a look I've only seen a few times before, his eyes seething with rage. "You talk too much. Let me fix that."

"Zero," I finish, dropping my arm. By now my heart has all but exploded out of my chest. Zane doesn't take threats to our family well, especially not me, and if he lets the anger take control, it could be bad. For Damon, that is.

My brother manages to control himself though, keeping his stance but Damon reacts the moment my arm falls completely. The Noxian springs forward, faster than should be possible, closing the distance in half a heartbeat. He runs slightly to Zane's right, forcing him to shift his stance. Damon launches himself at my brother as he is shifting, throwing half a dozen punches at my brother in half as many seconds.

Zane grunts as the punches slam into him, using his forearms to block the heavier ones and open hands to parry lighter ones to the side. The punches are ugly and brutal, too quick for me to even see properly, and even Zane is slowly forced to backpedal as Damon starts throwing more weight behind them. Zane tries to block what looks like a sloppy kick at his ribs, but it turns into a lunge, and Damon ducks beneath Zane's guard, launching an uppercut right into his ribs.

My brother lets out a gasp of pain, and Damon presses in, throwing punch after punch at his head. Zane gets his hands up in time, managing to block most of them with his arms. Damon still manages to slip in a few hits to Zane's stomach, but nothing that looks too serious. The Noxian switches tactics, and starts throwing in a few kicks to the relentless beat down. Each kick that hits makes my brother stumble to the side, and after a particularly brutal one, Damon launches himself into another flurry of hammer blows.

Zane manages to yet again raise his arms in time, and the blows rain down uselessly. After a dozen racing seconds, the Noxian lets out a frustrated growl, and backs off a few steps, leaving both of them gasping for breath. So far, Zane has yet to land a single blow on him, and his arms glow angry red from all the punishment. He spits crimson onto the brick floor next to him, and I see a flicker of surprise cross his face.

Was he actually losing? My brother's fighting strategy was to let his opponent wear himself out while also memorizing their fighting style, but Damon seemed to be actually beating him. His punches hit hard and were vicious, and he was blindingly quick. He wasn't dumb either, having the sense to back off and rethink his strategy when Zane blocked his knockout punches. The bad feeling I had earlier seems to only grow with each passing second. Who was this kid?

Zane glances at me, and our eyes meet. The green color seems calm, like a prairie grassland. He smiles, winking at me, and his heavy breathing returns to normal almost instantly. He stands up straighter, rolling his neck a few times before looking at his surprised opponent. He smiles, and begins edging towards him, an almost playful grin on his face. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and I can't help but feel a little stupid. Of course Zane was faking it, there's no way he would lose. He promised me.

Damon seems to realize his onslaught hadn't actually been effective, and backs away, still exhausted from the last bout. By the time he stops retreating, they're back in their original positions, right in the middle of the two sides. Damon wipes the sweat off his face with a jerky motion, and then sprints forward, rushing towards my brother with a roar. Zane takes a few smooth steps forward to meet him.

Damon tries using his overwhelming speed to his advantage, throwing a wall of punches at my brother, but Zane seems to have gotten faster. He sidesteps the heavy punches and parries the lighter ones away almost casually. Zane has a lazy grace to him, always moving at the last possible second to dodge or counter an attack, never quite leaving an opening. Damon is forced to retreat as Zane keeps walking forward, even though Zane still has yet to throw a punch. Damon tries to stop his advance, punching hard at my brother's face. Zane slaps it away with his left hand, and his other suddenly blurs forward, hitting him right in the nose.

Damon's head snaps back, flecks of blood flying from his now broken nose as he takes a few drunken steps away, blinking in confusion. Zane closes in, sidestepping a kick with lazy grace, before suddenly blurring forward into a punch that ends at Damon's stomach. The Noxian stumbles backwards, letting out a gasp of pain as the air is forced from his lungs. Damon has slowly been retreating back to the Noxian side, and is now practically back to back with the wall.

Damon seems to figure out just how much he underestimated his opponent, but the Noxian inside him refuses to yield. Eyes blazing with rage, he throws a painfully slow punch at Zane's head, which he ducks under with ease. Zane continues the motion, pivoting on his right foot and snapping a kick with his other leg at Damon's head. It connects, and Damon's body twists from the force of the blow, throwing him backwards. His head collides with the wall in an ugly smack, and he falls limp to the ground, blood dripping from his brow.

"Stop!" I all but scream. My brother knows the drill though, and has already backed off to the Ionian side. He looks surprisingly calm, like this was the expected outcome. Evan has already rushed to Damon's side and is trying to rouse him back into consciousness. Kor just continues leaning against the wall, eyes closed, as if he's lost all interest in this fight. I walk swiftly over to Damon, and Evan slowly helps him up into a sitting position.

Blood trickles down the front of Damon's face from a vicious gash on his head, and his eyes are big and unfocused. He still tries to stand though, refusing to lose, but Evan holds him down, saying something about him needing to get checked out.

Whenever a serious accident or injury happens during a duel, it's the job of the referee to decide whether the contestant can continue fighting. This usually involves asking a bunch of really obvious questions and sticking a finger in their wound to see how bad it is. I try to always bring a medical bag with me, but I had forgotten to get it before the teachers locked up the infirmary. It just was one of _those_ days.

The gash is ugly, and like most head wounds, is bleeding absolutely everywhere. I don't _think_ it's that bad, but without feeling how deep it is, there's no way to actually know. Lucky me. I arrive at his side, and reach down a hand, poking at his wound. I barely touch it before he yelps in pain and surprise, eyes suddenly focusing onto me.

"You," he spits out. "Get away... from... me," He gasps, slowly standing up with his back against the wall. His eyes are wild, and his breaths come out raggedly.

"Look, if you want to continue fighting I need to see how deep this is," I say, reaching out to touch the wound again.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU FILTHY WORM!" He screams, shoving me with all his strength. I stumble backwards a few steps, suddenly pushed back onto the catwalk, and try planting a foot to stop myself from falling. My clumsy leather shoes trip me _again_ though, catching on one of the loose wooden boards, and I end up backpedaling even faster. I slam into the wooden railing behind me, pain flashing through my back. Time slows to a crawl, and everything comes into crystal clear focus.

I notice two things instantly. First, I see that Kor has taken a sudden interest in me again, his eyes gleaming at me from where he slouches. I swear he's smiling. The second thing I notice is the giant cracking sound from the wood railing as it gives out behind me. I feel weightless for a moment and then I'm suddenly falling. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zane sprinting towards me, and he slides to the edge, reaching out a hand.

I'm beginning to fall headfirst now, my body slowly tilting from the momentum of slamming into the railing. I reach out, desperately trying to grab him before it's too late. Our fingertips touch for half of an agonizingly long second, and then I'm falling upside down, still looking up at him. He looks on in horror, hand still outstretched, and I decide to close my eyes. I don't want that look in his eyes to be the last thing I ever see. My heart pounds in my ears, and I wonder briefly why time seems to have slowed. Was this just what dying felt like?

I already know what lies in wait beneath me. I practically have the courtyard memorized from all the different times I've waited for a duel to start. Based on where I fell, I would be plummeting directly towards the rocky perimeter below me. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what a two story fall, upside down, and into jagged rocks will do to someone. I'm going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Tears begin to form in my eyes. I don't want to die... not like this. Zane's going to blame himself for not saving me, I know it. Akira wouldn't be much better off, but maybe he would at least be able to stop Zane from killing Damon. That's what Zane would do, too. There's no way he could control his anger, especially not with my killer standing right there. My brother would regret it for the rest of his life though, and it would be my fault. He might even hate me for it eventually.

It seems absurd that all my dreams are going to end from a stupid little fall. My dreams... I was going to become a guard and save people. Ionian, Noxian, it didn't matter. If they needed help, I was going to give it. Even if I could just have saved _one_ person, my life would have had a meaning. A purpose. Now it would have none though, and I would just be another Ionian slave who died in a world that was just too cold.

The fall's finally going to end soon, I can feel it. I brace myself, and then something suddenly slams into my right side, catching me underneath my shoulders and then my knees when my body levels out, and the falling sensation turns into one of floating. My eyes open, and I find myself still in the air, but being carried in someone's arms. The boy carrying me has long brown hair and a painful expression screwed into his face. His brown eyes burn determined though, and I suddenly recognize him as the Noxian who had been sleeping in my usual resting spot.

He must have jumped up and caught me, because we continue falling through the air. However, the speed he used to jump up to me must have changed our course, and instead of slamming into the rocky perimeter, we fly over it and onto the sidewalk next to the school. He lands hard, his arm digging into my back and knees, but he manages to stay upright and we skid to a halt a few feet later.

Time seems to have finally snapped back into its usual pace, but everything remains still. He stands there, breathing heavy and holding on tight to me, almost afraid to move. The wind blows gently, ruffling the leaves in the trees and blowing the Noxian's hair out of his face. A few birds take flight, chirping happily, and the boy looks down at me, a worried look on his face.

"You okay?" He asks in a concerned voice, still trying to catch his breath. My heart races, and before I can respond I hear my brother call out from the catwalk, now above our heads.

"Aria!?" He yells, his voice breaking slightly.

"I'm fine!" I yell, trying to sound calm, but It doesn't sound very convincing. Fear still runs like electricity through my veins, and everything seems to be happening too fast now, a drastic change from during the fall.

"Okay! Just... just stay down there! I'll be right down after I finish this, so stay put!" I hear the floorboards creak as he gets up and walks away.

I know why he doesn't want me up there. Damon attacked me outside of a duel, and if that wasn't bad enough I was the referee. When something like that happened... well, it was going to be bad. Zane was within his rights to get revenge, and my brother wasn't about to go easy the person who almost killed his sister. He was going to teach Damon a lesson. Akira would stop him from taking it too far though, I think. I hope.

"Umm..." The Noxian holding me says, and I realize an awkward amount of time has passed. I feel my cheeks warm up slightly as I search for words.

"I'll just set you down here," he says, setting me down with my back against the wall. My legs feel like rubber, so I just continue sitting, resting against the building. He is shaking with fatigue, and so he sits next to me, closing his eyes as he rests his head on the wall. I finally seem to remember what language I speak, other than awkward silence, and I turn to him.

"Thank you. If you hadn't caught me-" I begin.

"Don't mention it," He interrupts nonchalantly, looking down at the floor. He rubs at his arms, and I see a few bruises when he pushes up his sleeve.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize I hurt you, just give me a second and I'll go get some salve or something," I say, before I suddenly remember that the healing salve would be locked away in the infirmary. It really was just one of _those_ days.

"What, this?" He asks, gesturing at his arms "Don't worry, this is from-ahh... something... else," he mumbles the last part, looking away. I frown, taking a closer look at him. His longer hair hides his eyes fairly well, but now that I look closer I see a few bruises, including a nasty one on his jaw, and one of his eyes looks slightly swollen. The bruises on his arms suddenly remind me of my brother's red forearms during the fight, and everything clicks together.

"You were in a duel, weren't you?" I ask. "It must have been against another Noxian, because I don't remember you fighting Zane. It must have been recent too, and I can tell you lost by the bruise on your jaw. Why were you fighting other Noxians?" I blurt out, not thinking clearly.

"I didn't realize Ionians were so rude, or is that just you?" He snaps back, letting out a tired sigh afterwards. "Just... shove off."

I try not to laugh, I really do, but soon enough I'm laughing hysterically and he's giving me an odd look. "That's kind of how I got into this mess," I point out in between laughs.

He stares at me blankly for a second, then he starts chuckling, only to wince and put a hand on his ribs. That just makes him laugh harder though, and soon we're both gasping for breath. He puts on a sad smile, and rests his head against the wall, eyes closed again. My mind is still racing through, adrenaline still pumping through me, and I find myself looking around at where I fell.

Broken sections of the wooden railing mark the spot on the rocks where I would have landed, but I look past that, to the old cherry tree. I begin wondering how the Noxian caught me when I couldn't have been falling for more than a few seconds. The distance from the tree to the rocks wasn't _that_ far, but to react so quickly to someone suddenly falling from the sky, and then jump up so high... Not to mention that he was holding his ribs like he had taken quite a beating. The only way it would be possible was...

"Magic," I whisper out loud, and his eyes immediately snap open, staring at me silently. "You used magic to get me, didn't you? You're pretty beat up, but if you used magic to make yourself faster and improve your senses..." I trail off as I see a defeated sort of look cover his face.

Everything remains silent for a moment. The wind rustles through the trees. The Noxian's thumps his fist lightly onto the ground. A familiar looking man in a hooded black robe passes by, paying us no attention. The floorboards above us creek in the wind. Finally, the Noxian turns to me.

"What do you want?" He asks warily.

I blink at him, more than a little confused. He sighs impatiently.

"Sorry, I forget that you Ionians aren't used to playing our games," he says, anger creeping its way into his voice. "Usually though, its common courtesy to let the person you're blackmailing know what you want them to do in exchange for keeping their secret."

Oh. So that's what this was about. He was afraid that I was going to tell other people that he could use magic, and then they would be able to use that against him. I guess that makes sense, with all the rumors about that "aptitude test." The one that finds out who can use magic, and makes them disappear.

The ironic part is that I can use magic too, but I can't just tell him that because I'm afraid of the exact same rumors. I take a second to try and think of something to say, but he just shakes his head, and begins to rise.

"Look, I don't have all day," he says, standing up. "When you finally figure out how to blackmail someone properly, well, you know where to find me," he finishes, and begins walking off. Even if I told him I would keep his secret, he wouldn't believe me. He's different than other Noxians though. He saved my life, not even worrying about having his secret being exposed. I can't let someone like that worry about watching his back, constantly afraid of being blackmailed.

"Wait!" I call out to him. He stiffens, and turns his head towards me. I beckon him over, and he walks, until he stands in front of me. The only thing Noxians _really_ believe in is actions. So I would just have to _show_ him that he could trust me. I owe him that much.

"Watch," I say, cupping my hands together to form a sphere. I concentrate briefly, creating a small orb of energy in my mind, and then I reach into my power, drawing from my mana 'pool'. Violet light begins to glow from my cupped fingers, and when I open them, a glowing purple sphere hovers between my hands. He looks on, his eyes wide, and I hold onto the spell for a while, before letting it go. The sphere turns into streams of violet smoke, disappearing into the air.

I stand up on shaky legs, and he looks at me in wonder and confusion. "Why?" He asks plainly.

"Sorry, I forget you Noxians aren't used to our games," I say, doing my best to mimic his earlier arrogance. "Usually though, it's common courtesy to _not_ blackmail the person who saved your life."

He stares at me for a moment. Then he lets out a light sounding laugh, and I smile back at him. He has one of those infectious laughs, that just make you want to forget all the worries of the world.

"Seriously though," I continue. "You saved my life, and I want to repay you. I thought that it might be a good start by letting you know that your secret is safe with me as long as mine is safe with you."

He nods back at me, still smiling. "It's a deal."

"I was also thinking that you might want some lessons, you know..." I trail off, trying to pick my words carefully. If there's one thing I know about Noxians it's that you never insult their pride. "Well, you didn't exactly deny those bruises came from you losing a duel, and I'm sure I could convince Zane to give you some fighting lessons... you know... if you want," I say, wincing slightly.

"Thanks, but I think they would only target me more if they knew I was getting fighting lessons from an Ionian," He answers. "But I think I have another idea. How good are you at magic?"

I raise an eyebrow at him before continuing. "I've been able to use magic for about seven years now. I mean, I'm no master, but I like to think I've gotten pretty good. Why?"

"Well… look, I'm actually really good at duels. Ever since I came here though, some people started targeting me and… well, they _have_ to be using some sort of magic to beat me. They just move _so_ fast, and whenever I feel like I'm about to get a in good hit, it feels like I slow down just enough that they can dodge. I mean, is there even magic that works like that?"

I think for a moment before responding. "Technically, I don't see why there couldn't be. Every mage tends to have their own "style" of magic and some styles even have a name. For instance, people who are especially good at fire magic are called pyromancers. You could be facing people who use magic to make themselves move faster. A kinomancer, I think. Actually, judging by the way you were able to move so fast and catch me, I would guess you're one too."

Kinomancy was a pretty common form of magic from what I have studied. It usually involved strengthening muscles with magical power so they could perform even better. What he said about how he lost his fights fits with what I know. The thing that bothers me though, is why this kinomancer hasn't challenged Zane yet. I would definitely be able to tell if someone was using magic during a duel, which was one of the reasons I had wanted to referee for the duels in the first place.

He absorbs the information well, and then continues. "Yeah, I guess that would make sense. The real problem is, I just recently learned I could even use magic, but and I can't really control when. It just… happens. So, I was wondering if you could teach me how to control this… kinomancy magic, just to help level the playing field. You know, fight fire with fire," He explains, looking at me expectantly.

I take another moment, considering my options. I'm not against teaching him, but teaching him combat magic... I mean, he _seems_ like a pretty nice guy, but with something like that... No, I won't teach someone how to possibly kill another person using magic. But I could try something else. I shake my head at him, making up my mind.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," I say flatly. Disappointment shrouds his face and he looks like he wants to argue, but I hold up a finger, silencing him. "Combat magic is dangerous. One stray thought or emotion, and you could accidentally kill the other person, or even yourself. Kinomancy is one of the most dangerous too, because it involves throwing around spells that affect your body's organs and muscles. I'm sorry, but I won't teach something like that."

I let the silence hang for a while, keeping my finger raised. I feel like such a hypocrite, even though everything I said is true. I might have made kinomancy sound a little more dangerous than it actually was though. The thing is, I've trained myself a little bit in combat magic, and denying someone who actually needed to learn it felt... very... Noxian. What makes me think I know any better than him anyway? I push those thoughts out of my head, and continue speaking.

"However, there is something else I could teach you," I say. "I don't know if you've ever seen a League match, but sometimes a champion uses a spell that stops another wizard from using magic. This technique is call silencing. If you still want to learn, I could teach you how to silence you opponent, which would at least make the duel even. They wouldn't be able to use their magic, and neither would you," I explain, looking at him. Sometimes the best offense is a good defense, and I hope he understands that.

He thinks about it for a second before answering. "Well, I guess that could work. As long as I can make it a fair fight, I'm sure I can win… yeah that sounds good. When can we begin?"

I smile, and extend my hand. "We'll start tomorrow. I can teach you right after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I don't have club practice for Kendo. The other days we'll have to wait until after. Let's work well togeth-" I stop, blushing as I realize I don't even know his name. I mean, its not like he saved my life or anything. Why would I have possibly asked him for his name?

He laughs, which only makes me more embarrassed, but he reaches out and shakes my hand, keeping his easy smile.

"Kyle Jensen. I look forward to working with you… sensei." he adds, bowing a little at the last part, making me giggle.

"Aria Kessler. Let's work well together, Kyle."

Kyle leaves before my brother comes down, specks of blood staining his white shirt and hands. That doesn't stop him from giving me a tight hug though, and I hug him right back, pretending I don't notice. Blood doesn't really bother me anyways. I guess I'm just used to it by now. Akira and I hug next, and that's when Zane finally asks where the Noxian who saved me went.

"He just left. I have a feeling we'll be seeing him around though," I say, grinning. Something tugs at the back of my mind, and so I let go of Akira, stepping backwards. I hear a faint sound begin repeating itself over and over again. It sounds _so_ familiar. I strain my ears, listening, and I finally make out the words.

_It's time. Wake up._

I suddenly feel very tired, and the world dissolves back into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHORS NOTE: Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, it really does mean a lot to me! Special thanks to you reviewers!**

**Another thing I wanted to say is that I updated a few things. First of all, if you would like to get some up-to-date information about chapter progress and my current thoughts, head on over to North America's League of Legends site and go to the Fan Fiction section. You should be able to find my thread titled I Will Defy there, and I would love it if you dropped by!**

**I am also experimenting with a few things like weekly questions and putting my current thoughts and progress on the first post of that thread. If you like the extra interaction with me, please leave a post! I'm currently only updating chapter progress and thoughts about once a week, but if you want it to be more up-to-date then feel free to drop a comment. I would also love to hear anything else you have to ask from questions to just general feedback!**

* * *

Chapter Three

"Is she going to be okay?" A familiar voice asks. It sounds old and weathered… maybe a teacher? I feel like his name is Grant for some reason, but I don't know anyone named Grant. Maybe it's his last name? I think the more important question is why my head feels all fuzzy, or maybe why I'm so tired.

"Barely. She used up _all_ of her mana, and controlling that much power pretty much drained all her energy too. Poor thing was probably too focused on passing to even realize she reached her limit, so she just fainted. She's very lucky to be alive right now," another familiar, but more feminine voice answers. She lets out a frustrated sigh before continuing.

"I want to stay and ask her a few questions when she wakes, but I should go before Zerick gets back. Just give her a few seconds to get her bearings when she wakes up and she should be fine," I hear the second voice say. I think she might be the school's nurse, but why would she be here? Where is here, anyway? I hear a door open and close, and I wonder why the name Zerick also sounds eerily familiar…

Suddenly, everything comes flooding back. The test, the spell, blacking out, all of it. My eyes snap open, and I gasp for air as my heart kicks into overdrive. Whatever dim light was in the room before seems to have magnified, and everything blurs together into shadowy shapes. I blink a few tears out of my eyes, and everything slowly comes back into focus.

I sit against the far wall of the room, and Mr. Grant crouches down next to me, a concerned look covering his face. I try to say something, _anything_ really, but it just comes out in a tired groan and I suddenly realize just how exhausted I really am. Every muscle in my body aches out for sleep, and my back hurts from laying against the wall. I try to stand, but Mr. Grant just pushes my gently back down.

"Take it easy. Just stay still for now and try to catch your breath, you've been through a lot," he says soothingly.

"What about my test?" I ask groggily. "Did I pass?" He shifts his brown eyes away and says nothing. My stomach drops. How could I not have passed? I put everything I had into that test, so much so that I lost track of my limit, at least according to the nurse. I've _never_ done that before. Like, _ever_.

"Just be happy you're alive right now. You survived, and that's no small accomplishment," He offers feebly, and I feel anger rising in me. I don't want to _just _survive. I want to _live_. How can he be so compliant, just trying to get through the day? There's no reason for my anger, but I find myself glaring at him stubbornly, and he slowly gets up and backs off to the other side of the room, shaking his head.

Something else bothers me though. Why did he make it sound like he was surprised I survived taking the test at all? And what was with that dream I had? It was more of a memory really, but I've never remembered something like I was living through that same exact moment again.

Before I can think too much about it, the door opens, and Zerick steps in. He doesn't close the door right away though, and I catch of glimpse of the hallway. My breath stops.

Figures stand guard outside the door, wearing close fitting robes in Noxian black and red. Over the robes, they wear pieces of red gleaming plate armor, breastplates, gauntlets, the whole works. Their armor doesn't extend to their legs though, keeping the skirts of their robes unrestricted. Huge hoods shroud their faces, but armored masks gleam in what little light reaches them, and I instantly know who they are. _What_ they are.

Noxian battlemages. They are some of the most powerful Noxian troops, second only to the Crimson Elite. They fight in hybrid armor, enchanted robes to ward off magic and spell-forged plate armor to defend against physical attacks. Prepared for everything, and scared of nothing, they're the poster soldiers of the Noxian war machine. Every night raid on Ionian "rebels" has at least one battlemage involved, if for nothing else than to just strike fear into our hearts. The stories of what they can do…

I don't remember standing up, but I am now. Zerick seems to have noticed my reaction and he smiles, closing the door behind him. Did he _want_ me to see them? He moves forward and leans on the back of the chair, motioning for me to take a seat in the other one.

My throat feels dry, and it hurts to just be standing, but I move forward anyway. Every step is painfully slow, and my legs shake slightly. The only sound in the room is my heavy breathing, broken every few seconds by my small shuffling steps. No one moves to help me. No one ever does.

I reach the chair and sink into it as my legs give out. Zerick smiles at me, almost like he's gloating about his victory.

"I would like to be the first to congratulate you on your performance. Your final score is the highest I've ever seen before. You have the potential to become an _amazingly_ powerful wizard," he says. I had almost forgotten that he was still trying to keep up the ruse that Noxus was actually trying to help me. I would laugh if I wasn't so tired.

"There is one thing though," he says, like he's about to mention a small unimportant fact. "With the amount of power you have, I'm slightly concerned about how well you can control it. So, I pulled a few strings and managed to get you into a special training camp where you'll be taught how to improve you magic. It lasts for six months and by the end of it you will be a master at controlling your power. You might even be able to become a battlemage by the end of it, if you really want to."

He seems genuinely excited, but his eyes betray him. They remain dead and cold, and he looks stiff, like he hates every second of this. Probably because he would rather just kill me outright.

"What if I don't want to go?" I ask, staring right back at him. Mr. Grant shoots me a wide eyed glare from the corner, but I don't care. I'm done with all these lies, pretending to never realize what's actually going on.

"And why wouldn't you?" he asks innocently, raising an eyebrow. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Becoming a battlemage is considered a great honor."

"We both know what really goes on at the training camp," I say quietly. "So lets just stop pretending we don't. I know what happens there. What you're really saying is that I can become a battlemage if I want to _live_."

Zerick tenses up, and he narrows his brown eyes at me. They take on a new look, from cold and uncaring to one of jagged ice and anger. He leans in from where he stands, hand clenching the wooden chair hard enough to make it groan.

"Listen very close to me, _girl_," he spits out. "I'm done playing nice, so I'm just going to say it plainly. You _will_ go to that training camp, and if you resist I will personally-"

The door bangs open behind him loudly, and Zerick reacts immediately, whirling around to face the sudden intruder. Zerick blocks my view, so I shift in my chair, trying to get a look.

"Care to finish that sentence?" the intruder asks in a calm voice. "You really shouldn't say things like that. After all, you never know who might overhear."

I finally get a look at the intruder, and my jaw drops open. Why is _he_ here?

A man in his early twenties with short brown hair stands in the doorway, a chain mail shirt gleaming out from underneath his red breastplate. He wears plain black clothes under the light armor, and heavy leather boots. His hand rests on the pommel of the long sword hanging from his hip, an unspoken threat. The captain of the guard for all of Sakara city stands there, his plain face looking passively at Zerick.

"Captain Fairfax," Zerick whispers out. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Fairfax asks in his monotone voice. "I'm here to take her to where the test says she _should _be going. To the academy."

"What do mean?" Zerick asks dumbfounded. "If you're suggesting that I changed the results-"

"I know about the promotion you were promised," the captain interrupts, taking a single step forward. "I also happen to know the person who offered you that position. He might not be too happy if he learns you wasted such potential."

"Are you threatening me?" Zerick asks, shifting on his feet slightly. "If you think you know everything that's going on here, you're dead wrong. _He _was the one who told me I had to send at least five to the training camp if I wanted to even have a chance at that job. You just want the job for yourself, don't you?"

"The terms have changed," Fairfax states bluntly. "The girl comes with me, and you'll be considered for the job. Or you could keep the girl, in which case, _he_ learns all about those grimoires you've been gathering up."

His words echo in the silence that follows. Zerick seethes in anger, clenching his knuckles and shifting from one foot to the other. All the while, the captain just stands there, still as a statue. The tension feels like a sword's edge against my throat, and I'm scared to even breath. Captain Fairfax just stands there, calm and determined, and I can't help but feel a little suspicious. Why _does_ he want me to go to the academy so bad? What's he planning?

"Fine," Zerick says, shattering the silence. "Take your little toy, see if I care. I'll take power over some kid any day. Don't think I'll forget about this though, Fairfax. Once I have that job, don't you think you can keep her, or yourself safe. This isn't over."

He leaves the room with long, brisk steps, brushing past the captain as he leaves. Mr. Grant follows after a few surprised seconds, rushing to catch up to him. He mutters something apologetically to the captain as he walks by, but Fairfax just nods, completely unfazed.

I start breathing again, unsure of when I stopped, and slowly get up. I don't really know what to say, so I just stand there awkwardly, waiting for some kind of explanation. Captain Fairfax just nods at me though, turning around.

"Let's go," he says, walking out the door, and It takes me a few stunned moments to follow after him. So much for explanations.

Somehow though, I feel more steady now, and my legs are only slightly rubbery. I hurry out into the dreary hallway, only to stop in my tracks, eyes widening. The four Noxian battlemages stand outside, saluting Fairfax as he finishes saying something, and one walks up to him and hands him a cloak he was holding onto. Fairfax nods in thanks, and puts it on deftly, turning to me. The battlemages fall back into place behind him, waiting for _his_ orders.

"These guys are going to escort us through the library to the outside just to make sure no one causes any trouble. From there, we'll ride a wagon to the military compound here in the city. The academy is inside, so it won't take long. Any questions?" The captain asks.

I have millions, like how a captain of the guard was able to get elite soldiers, whose only job was to hunt and kill people, to listen follow his orders. I mean come on, he was using them as glorified cloak hangers and common guards, and they were just fine with it? Not only that, but he also was able to secure the job for Zerick just by talking to someone? Do I even know him anymore?

No, of course I know him. He's still the same person that I've always known. He might be planning _something_, but for now I don't really have much of a choice but to follow along.

"No," I answer him. Fairfax nods, and begins walking towards the library door. I follow behind, and the battlemages take up positions to my left and right, two in front of me and two in back.

My heart begins racing faster with every step we take towards the library. The library was located in the central section of the school, and had an exit that led directly out the back of the school. Walking out the front would take longer, so I guess it makes sense. I don't want to walk past all my classmates though, the ones who were still waiting to take the test.

The library is the largest section of the school, so every year when testing day came, all the students who turn sixteen are gathered there. They then had to wait for their name to be called and were ushered to a testing room in the old storage hallway. I was one of the first group of people called, so almost everyone would still be there. Waiting. Watching.

We reach the end of the hallway, and captain Fairfax opens the door, walking into the room beyond. Time to run the gauntlet. I walk in.

The room is the same as when I left it, two floors of musty old bookshelves with all the students sitting at haphazardly placed tables on the first floor. Any talking there was stops, and I feel the weight of their eyes settle upon me. A few people let out gasps, but most just remain silent, staring at me with mixed expressions of surprise and sadness. We wait for the Noxian battlemages to get back in their position, and then we move on, walking down the middle towards the door.

I find myself searching the faces for my friends even though I try to just keep staring forward. I see blond haired Eliza sitting at one table, a hand clasped over her mouth to muffle her crying. Another blond hair girl is hugging her with one of her arms, staring at me sadly. I nod at Amara and she nods back, an unspoken promise. Eliza always was fragile, and without me there to keep her safe, the job would fall to Amara, one of those genuinely good people. I could trust her with that much.

I only spot a few other friends as we walk, and they all look mostly the same as Eliza and Amara, either on the verge of tears, or somber. Every time I meet their eyes though, they nod back, and I find myself choking down tears of my own. I didn't think leaving them would be _this_ hard. I had made my choice though, and there was no going back now. The only sound in the room is our footsteps.

We finally reach the door, and we step outside, leaving behind my classmates. My _friends_. Will I see them ever again? I wipe at my teary eyes, taking in a shaky breath, and wait for the battlemages to get back in formation.

The test started at the end of the school day, so the sun is hanging pretty low now, painting sinister shadows onto the ground. We stand at the back of the school only a few feet away from the street. Various houses line the opposite side of the street, including a few in complete disrepair. I avoid looking at them, and focus on the covered wagon. It's a nice one with a cloth covering for the back, and a guard even sits next to the driver, giving us a surprised look.

We keep walking, until we reach the back of the wagon. Captain Fairfax gets in with ease, pushing back the flap and offering me a hand up. I take it, and climb in. It's empty inside except for the two of us, so I sit in a corner far from the opening in the cover. Fairfax leans out for a second and then sits down next to the entrance, across from me. The wagon starts moving, bumping occasionally on the cobblestone road.

We sit in silence for awhile, with the captain looking out the flap every once and awhile. I find myself thinking about the test. From the argument between Fairfax had been saying when he was arguing with Zerick, I must have actually passed the test and Zerick just changed the results so he could get a promotion. Maybe I should be surprised he was willing to condemn me for a job, but I'm not. People have done worse for less.

What about that dream I had? I mean, it was a memory, but why did I completely relive it? Everything felt too _real_ for it to just be some strange dream. Something else feels odd, and I realize something in the dream hadn't actually happened. I don't know what exactly, just that it wasn't a perfect memory. Something had been added in, I think. Or maybe something hadn't happened that was supposed to?

I shake my head. The better question was why I was remembering _that_ moment. That was when I first met Kyle… that was when it had all started.

I rub at my sore back, annoyed at myself. It didn't matter how it had started. What mattered right now was what was coming next. The academy.

I look over to the Captain Fairfax. I don't actually know his first name, which is kind of weird considering how long I've known him. He was the captain of the guard for Sakara city for as long as I could remember, and he had even been a regular at my family's shop. Him and all the other guards under his command.

My father had been the actual blacksmith in the family, but when he went off to join the Ionian army, my Mother had taken up the job until Zane was old enough to do it himself. Zane had become the blacksmith with Akira handling the leatherwork, my mother doing the engraving, and I had handled the actual shopkeeping, occasionally helping out to sharpen blades.

Being the local blacksmith family had kept our family safe. Blacksmiths were rare as it was, so Noxians were forced to leave us alone if they wanted their equipment to remain in good condition. The soldiers had been hard to work for, knowing that every blade we sold and sharpened would only be used to kill Ionians. It had gotten better after the war, when only the guards remained. That had been due to Fairfax.

Captain Fairfax is one of the "honorable" types of Noxians. One of the _only_ honorable types. Noxus probably wasn't always a terrible place, where the weak were used as footstools for the strong. I had read that Noxus used to believe that strength was important because with that strength, you could help others become stronger too. That was the idea, anyway. Over time though, the strong and powerful started taking what they wanted, and there was no one to oppose them. There still isn't anyone, really.

Fairfax is one of the one who still abides by the old code though. It's not like he ever told me, it was just obvious from how he acted. He treats Ionians like actual people, and he expects the same from his guards. Most of them had no problem with that… most of them.

The captain looks over at me from where he sits, catching my gaze.

"You have some questions, don't you? Grant told you about the summoning academy we're heading towards, right?"

My breath catches, and I tense up. How did he know about that? Fairfax seems to read my expressions, and he nods his head.

"Good. I told him to make sure and elaborate that part, but I wasn't sure how much time he would have. I wish Zerick hadn't forced me to reveal myself, but at least the plan still worked."

"Wait, Mr. Grant told me about the academy because _you_ asked him to?" I ask. What is the captain trying to do? First he gets Mr. Grant to tell me about the academy, then he comes in and blackmails Zerick? All so I can go to this academy?

"That's correct," he nods. "I wanted to make sure you knew you had a choice."

"Why?" I ask after he doesn't elaborate. "Why are you helping me out so much? What do you want from me?"

He winces, or at least does his version of a wince, twitching his eye slightly.

"Sorry, I know it must seem weird, but I don't have a master plan or anything like that. I'm just trying to pay for my mistake. I knew you had your test today, and was aware of your talent, so I thought I would make sure you had a fair chance no matter what decision you made," Fairfax says, staring at me. I look away, turning my eyes to my feet.

"That… that wasn't your fault." I say quietly, folding my hands together.

"It wasn't," he agrees offhandedly. "But you can't deny that if I had done my job it wouldn't have happened. It was my mistake, and so I'm trying to make up for it. I thought that getting you the truth and using my blackmail on Zerick to get your actual results would be a good start."

We ride in silence for awhile. I don't believe what Fairfax says, not completely anyway. I know he's not lying, but I also feel like there's another motive that he isn't sharing. Something about the way he never actually looks at me makes me feel suspicious about his motives. Maybe it has to deal with Zerick.

"What was that job stuff you were talking about with Zerick," I ask. "Are you really trying to take that job from him by handing me over?" That could be it. It was kind of low of the captain to repay me and also help himself, but it wouldn't surprise me.

"No," he says simply, catching my eyes for a moment, and I feel somewhat relieved. I knew he was better than that.

"I'm not using you to get the job. I already _have_ the job."

"W-what?" I ask, completely aghast. "But you told him he was going to get the job if he let me go."

"I never said that," he says, shaking his head slightly. "I told him he would be considered for the job, and he was. They just chose me instead."

I don't bother trying to fight the smile off my face, and he seems to relax a little, looking out the wagon. A shadow of a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. Captain Fairfax always keeps his word.

"So what's your new job?" I ask. He scratches at his chin, and looks back to me.

"I'm not really sure what it involves, actually. The only thing I know is that its a teaching position of some sort at the academy."

I feel my jaw drop to the ground for what feels like the hundredth time today, and he chuckles lightly at me. He was going to be one of my _teachers_?

"I guess it's a good thing Zerick didn't get that job, huh?" he says, still chuckling slightly. "He would not have made that easy for you."

I smile slightly. That was understatement of the year. I don't think misplaced anger would even begin to describe how he was probably feeling. Something nags at me, and I take a look at Fairfax, looking closer at him.

On the surface he seemed laid back, carefree even, with his monorone voice and relaxed attitude. He goes out of his way to seem like an average guard, but I can't help but feel he's more than that. He creates elaborate plans just to repay favors, has the respect of battlemages, and even found time to help himself. Just who was he?

The wagon stops, and I hear voices talking outside. The captain gets up and leans out of the cover. He ducks back in a second later with a familiar looking black cloak folded in his arms, and we start moving again.

"You might want to put this on," he says, handing me the cloak. It looks remarkably like the cloak my brother bought me, and I find out why a second later when I shake it out. It _is_ my cloak. I turn to Fairfax, and raise an eyebrow.

"I took the liberty of sending someone to your house to gather some of your things. The rest should be waiting in a room for you, including a letter from your mother, I think," he says, shrugging.

I feel a stab of pain snake its way up to my heart. Mom. With everything happening so fast, I had completely forgotten what my decision really meant: leaving my family. When would I see my family again? Would I ever?

"Will I ever…" I choke out, and the captain just nods his head.

"They make you stay inside of the compound's walls at all times, except for one day every week. On that day, you're allowed to explore the city and generally do whatever you want." Fairfax says.

I bit my lip, nodding, and slip into my cloak. It feels soft, almost like it was freshly washed, and I smile. _Mom_. I bunch up the fabric and hold it up to my nose, inhaling deeply. It smells fresh and clean, like lavender, with a slight hint of smoke. It smells like _home_.

The wagon slows down, doing a U-turn and rolling to a stop. The captain hops out, vanishing past the flap. He reappears a second later, holding it open for me, and I stand.

"Put your hood up," the captain says.

"Why?" I ask, already pulling the hood over my head.

"None of the other students have been introduced to each other yet," he answers, holding out a hand to help me down. "Most of the ones you'll be with come from rich families who pulled some strings to get their children here. They probably think everyone else is going to be Noxian like them. You might be able to use that against them," he says.

I understand what he's getting at. The longer they don't know I'm Ionian, the longer I'll be safe. When they do find out though, I might be able to tell by how they react which ones are really dangerous. I still don't know why Fairfax is helping me so much, or even if he's planning something, but for now, I'm just glad he's on my side.

I take his hand, and hop out of the wagon, onto the cobblestone road. The sun sets to my left, painting long shadows onto the ground. The wagon starts rolling back down the path we came, leaving both of us staring at the huge building in front of us.

The academy is rectangular shaped, and it looks vaguely based off of the Institute of War that the League built, with lots of pillars and arches. It stands about four stories high, painting huge, menacing shadows onto the ground. The area in front of the building is completely paved in stone with a large fountain dominating the space in the middle.

The fountain is made of more smooth stone, starting off with a low wall to hold the water. A pedestal rises from the middle of the fountain, ending in a small circular platform. Two arches rise from the wall, connecting above the pedestal and leaving a circular hole where the water flows out out of. It looks very Noxian, all bland and smooth stone with an empty pedestal as the centerpiece.

I notice the people staring at us last. About nine stand in an awkward group in front of the fountain, waiting as we approach. All of them appear to be about the same age as me with only one or two looking slightly older. Their appearances all vary, from two who wear rich clothing in colors of deep violet and gold, to the others who mostly wear simple looking clothes. All of them have bags set down next to them, anything from a simple cloth sack to the huge leather cases near the two rich kids.

We reach them, and I'm suddenly thankful for the cloak shrouding my clothes. My uniform would probably have given me away almost as fast as my actual looks. Captain Fairfax stays by my side, waiting for something. I figure it out a second later, when a man steps out from behind the fountain, and everyone turns to face him.

The man is older with a serious looking face covered by a grey goatee, leaving the rest of his head completely bald. He wears a simple brown robe covered with black sigils, and leather boots. He surveys us for a second before speaking.

"Now that you have all arrived, we shall begin," he says in a surprisingly clear, yet soft voice. "You may call me Instructor Dumont. Before we begin the tour, I want to make something clear. This academy was created for the elite of Noxus, those who we think have the best chance of becoming a summoner for the League of Legends. That is the only reason this academy exists."

One of the two rich looking kids, a girl with curly blond hair, seems to straighten in pride, a smug smile on her face.

"You are not those elite candidates," Dumont says, and the smile drops off her face, and I can't help but grin underneath my hood.

"The only reason you are here right now is because someone _much_ more powerful than me wanted you here, and we happened to have spots open. Out of the fifty students attending the academy, most if not all of you are here so you can fill our remaining spots. You are the leftovers. Some of you even more so than others," he adds at the last second, and I could swear his sweeping gaze lingers on me. He shakes out his left arm and looks at a watch before continuing.

"Now that we're clear, I must be going to welcome one of your other instructors. He will be here shortly to give you a tour after I have informed him of a few… changes. I suggest you introduce yourselves and where each of you are from until he arrives," Dumont says. He nods towards us and then turns around, walking into the academy, leaving us alone.

All of us stand there awkwardly in the silence that follows. I realize Captain Fairfax still stands next to me, saying nothing. I don't know why Dumont just left him here, but I'm not about to ask. My heart races as the silence stretches on, and I wonder how long I'll be able to keep my identity a secret. The rich girl finally lets out a little cough though, and steps forward a little bit.

"I don't know _who_ exactly that man thought he was speaking too, but it doesn't look like we have much of a choice but to play along for now. I am Elizabeth of house Montfort, and I'm from Noxus, obviously," she says in a cultured accent, rolling her eyes.

I don't mean to judge her, but she doesn't exactly make it easy. She wears an elegant purple dress covered with shadowy black swirls and gold lace. The lace alone probably cost enough to pay taxes for a month. I shake the thoughts from my head as she gestures to the rich boy with combed blond hair next to her, and he steps forward. He's looks to be slightly older than her, and has an average look to him.

"I'm her older brother Edward, of the same house," He says. Although he doesn't wear as fancy clothes as his sister, he still has the same arrogant stance. Both of them appear to be the stereotypical Noxian nobility, which gives me a bad feeling. Even their last name sounds like one of the more powerful houses in Noxus.

A boy with a wide smile and short brown hair steps forward. He's of an average build and height, but something about him is unsettling. Maybe it's his constantly shifting orange-yellow eyes, or the way he stands like hes constantly absorbing everyone's attention. He wears normal Noxian black clothes though, so at least he probably isn't from a noble family.

"My name's Cody, of house Kain. Not as noble as house Montfort, but still Noxian through and through," He says, looking at the Montforts. Edward smiles back at him, while Elizabeth just shakes her head.

Someone clears their throat loudly, and we all turn to face a boy looking plainly at the rest of us. He's tall and absolutely _built_. Wide shoulders, wide muscles, and even a wide neck stretch at his dark clothes. He has plain brown hair, and his hazel eyes seem to be looking far away.

"Jackson, of house Garnet. Also Noxian," he says plainly. I'm not sure what to make of Jackson, so I just focus on the next kid for now.

A boy wearing plain clothes smiles at everyone warmly underneath his long blond hair. He looks average, like someone you would just pass on the street.

"I'm Alexander, of some no-name house. Findel if you really want to know. Feel free to just call me Alex," he says smiling, scratching at the back of his head. "Oh, and I'm also Noxian."

I get the a strange feeling off of him, and it takes me a second to figure out what it is exactly. He reminds me more of a Noxian who's lived in Ionia than one who's actually lived in Noxus. I wonder if he was born here. Maybe it's just my imagination, but he seems more easygoing compared to the others. I turn my thoughts away as a skinny boy in threadbare clothes begins speaking.

"Devon, of Noxus," he says quietly, his eyes poking out from underneath his long brown hair. When someone took the last name from the city they lived in, it usually meant they were a street urchin, someone with no power or standing. It makes me wonder just how he got into the academy in the first place.

"Yo," someone says, and I turn to see a short boy wearing an odd looking coat step forward. His medium length hair is dyed green at the tips, fading quickly to bleached white.

"Sorry to break the Noxian streak, but my name's Xander. I guess by house you mean last name, right? Well in that case, I'm from house Declan, of Zuan," he says smiling. Now I realize that his odd looking coat is actually a _lab _coat. The others don't react much except for Elizabeth, who frowns slightly at him. Zuan us a pretty close ally to Noxus, so it's no surprise really. The Noxians here would tolerate him just fine.

A girl with long blond hair and a plain black dress steps forward next, hesitantly. Her blue eyes shift nervously around, and she clears her throat before talking.

"I'm Molly, of house Rennes. From Noxus," she says. She might be another Noxian from Ionia, but maybe not. She seems too shy to actually be able to lie. Still, she might be another potential friend. A boy with shaggy black hair begins speaking next.

"Seth, of house Durandal. Noxus," he says. He stands stiffly, wearing a plain grey tunic and cloth pants. Out of all the people there he also has the smallest bag next to him, a simple cloth sack. Well, everyone but me anyway.

It takes me a second to realize everyone's looking at me, but before I can say anything Fairfax steps forward, lowering his hood and pushing his cloak behind him, revealing his armor and sword.

"I'm not a student here," He begins with. "You may call me Captain Fairfax. I am going to be one of your instructors. I'm fairly new here myself, so I'm guessing Instructor Dumont is sending another teacher to give the tour. I'll start by telling you guys-"

"Wait," the girl, Elizabeth, interrupts. "What about him? Why doesn't _he_ have to introduce himself?"

I wince underneath my cloak, and Fairfax just stands there, staring at her. She blushes and looks away, breaking eye contact with him. He lets out an angry sigh and turns his head to me. He doesn't say anything, but I understand what he's thinking. It was a good plan to try and sneak my way in with my large cloak, but Dumont had kind of messed that up when he told us all to introduce ourselves.

I push the cloak from around my body, raising my hands to my hood. I hope no one can see them shaking. I can't believe I actually thought I was going to get out of revealing myself. I take a deep breath, and slide my hood off, letting my hair fall out.

"My name is Aria Kessler," I say, my voice coming out surprisingly steady. A few of them already have wide eyes, figuring out where I'm from based on my clothes and looks probably, but my next words will condemn me for sure. I suddenly wish I wasn't so tired, but it's not like I could change that now. I take another thready breath, eyes watching everyone.

"…and I'm from Ionia," I finish, and time screeches to a stop.


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHORS NOTE: Well, I didn't any posts on my league of legends thread, so I was going to just wait another week to finish this up, but some people gave reviews and request more ASAP, so here you all go! I hope you enjoy! Special thanks to the reviewers, and followers of this story! (Especially the ones who requested this to be released this week!)**

**The next installment will be at least two weeks from now, if not longer due to a heavy workload.**

* * *

Chapter Four

Everything remains still for a few stunned seconds, and I take that time to focus, studying their reactions. Molly and Xander both seem shocked, but something close to relief flashes through Molly's eyes. Maybe she thinks she won't be the biggest target here now. I doubt I'll have to worry about them, so I shift my eyes to Jackson and Devon, but both of them are standing still. Jackson glares at me suspiciously, while Devon just keeps staring at the ground blankly and uninterested.

Past them, Alex seems surprised at first, but it quickly fades away into a warm smile, ignorant of the tension in the air. Seth looks at me from underneath his black hair, almost sadly. I don't want his pity, so I shift my eyes to the final three.

Edward stares with his eyes narrowed at me and fists clenched. Elizabeth has her arms crossed and a look of disgust on her face. Cody just stands there, with wide yellow eyes and a shifting expression of surprise and anger. I breathe a sigh of relief. Most of them don't seem completely hostile about my presence, which is more than I was hoping for. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"What is someone like _her_ doing here?" Elizabeth asks, shifting her glare to Fairfax. He turns to her, as if to respond, but Cody interrupts with a sickly laugh. The laugh bounces off the stones, echoing in my ears, and everyone turns and stares at him in surprise. He shakes with laughter, his yellow eyes looking more unstable with every passing second. My heart begins to race.

"This must be some kind of joke," he laughs. "That Dumont guy talked like we were lucky to even be here, but I get it now! He was just saying that so we wouldn't be surprised when everyone here wasn't Noxian. I bet he was just trying to hide the fact that he couldn't get anyone else to come to this void forsaken academy." Cody puts a hand up to his face and his laughs stop abruptly a second later. His hand slides off, and all the humor is gone from his face. Cody glares at me emotionlessly with his yellow eyes.

"I didn't think he'd stoop so low as getting an Ionian to fill the final slot," he says, his voice suddenly quiet dripping with hate. I suppress a shiver from his suddenly shifting emotions, fear slithering into my belly. His words seem to have sparked something in Edward, because he takes swift steps towards me, closing the distance before anyone can react.

"He probably didn't have much of a choice with all the politics attached to this," Edward says, still walking toward me. "I guess we'll just have to deal with this ourselves. Dumont can't be blamed if he tries to fill the last ten slots and _then_ something happens, now can he?"

My eyes widen in realization, and I take a step back as he points a finger at me only a few inches from my face. I try to say something, or anything at all really, but the words catch in my throat. If he challenges me to a duel now, I'm done for. Zane isn't be here to protect me, and I have no chance of beating him at unarmed combat. Think, Aria, think.

"I challenge you to a-" he begins saying, but is cut off by the rasp of steel being drawn from a scabbard, and a sudden wind blows into my eyes, making me flinch them closed.

When my eyes open back up, everything seems to have gone still. Edward stands in front of me, arm stiff and still pointing at me but now with a look of surprise and fear on his face. The blade of a pure white longsword rests just under his chin, gleaming in the sunset's orange light. Runic lettering is scrawled into the length of the blade, and the edge looks sharp enough to cut the air itself. I slowly look down the length of the familiar sword, towards the hilt, already knowing who it belongs to.

Captain Fairfax stands casually to my left side, his right arm extended to point the sword to Edward's neck. My heart pounds in the silence that follows. Fairfax never stops surprising me. I hadn't even seen him begin the motion to draw his sword, let alone notice that he had moved so close to me. The air that made me blink must have been from the sheer force of the sword moving so fast, and I am suddenly _very_ glad he's on my side.

The white blade shivers, vibrating from being drawn so quickly and making a quiet but constant metallic humming sound. It almost seems thirsty for violence. The hum slowly fades, and only when it's completely gone does Fairfax look towards Edwards, his eyes and face completely devoid of emotion.

"First of all," he begins casually, "I don't like being interrupted. I like it even less when it's to spout idiotic theories. Especially when they're about someone superior to you," his gaze drifts over to Cody as he speaks, and Cody's face turns red. He clenches his hands and says nothing, and Fairfax's eyes slide back to Edward.

"Secondly, duels against students attending the academy are strictly prohibited. If you had chosen to finish that sentence, the head of security here would have championed for her. That would be me, in case you were wondering," He says, and I feel a little disappointment flutter in my belly. Maybe he wasn't protecting me, but just stopping Edward from getting himself killed.

"And finally," he says, anger seeping into his voice. "Blind loyalty to a friend is admirable. What you just demonstrated was blind _stupidity_. I don't know why some of you seem to have such a big problem with an Ionian being here, and I honestly don't really care. Dueling someone you just met is cowardly and a sign of weakness. Now, I suggest you back off before I consider doing something drastic," Fairfax finishes, sounding more factual than threatening.

A quiet tension settles into the air as Fairfax continues staring at Edward. Edward gives him a jerky little nod, never looking into his eyes, and backs off, walking to his original position. Fairfax stays still for a few seconds, watching him go, then his arm blurs and suddenly his sword is back in it's sheath. Judging by the looks on everyone else's face, they didn't see the movement in between either. Scary.

"Wow," a voice says loudly, suddenly breaking the tension. "I mean, I guess I should expect nothing less from _you_, but still. Wow."

We all look to the entrance of the academy, facing the source of the voice. A man in his late twenties stands by the doors of the academy, watching us with wide eyes. He wears simple black clothes and heavy boots. Sunlight gleams off his spiky black hair and light green eyes, a lopsided smile plastered on his face. He walks over to us, and the light shifts over silver metal studs that run across his jaw line and through the bridge of his nose, giving him a sharper look to him.

"Anyways, I guess I should introduce myself," He says as he reaches the edge of our loose circle, Elizabeth and Cody moving out of his way to give him room.

"My name is Sadon, of house Ventris, and I am your third and final instructor. Just call me Sadon," he says, shifting his eyes over all of us. His gaze lingers on me for longer than I would like, and I shift uncomfortably.

"Anyway, Dumont wanted me to give you the grand tour, so if you would follow me," he says, spinning on his heel and walking towards the entrance. Everyone picks up their bags and moves to follow. Seth and I end up lagging behind, we end up in the back part of the group with only Fairfax behind us. Seth glances at me as we walk, shouldering his small sackcloth bag.

"You okay?" he asks quietly. Based on the look he gave me earlier, it's out of pity, but he might just be searching for a weakness. Whatever the case, I don't want to give anything away so I just give a jerky little nod, never looking at him. He seems to take the hint and turns away, keeping his eyes on Sadon. We enter the academy through it's large mahogany doors, and I forget my anxiety for a few seconds as I look around the huge room in silent awe.

The inside is much like the outside, made of smooth stone with very little color or decoration but somehow still seeming ornate. The room we enter is a large entrance hall with a few people in dark robes loitering around. A few long bookshelves with tables and chairs near them lay in the upper left corner, a robed figure sitting at a desk next to the little library. There are two doors in the room, one in the upper right corner, and one to our left. We begin moving towards the one on our left, our steps echoing on the wooden floor as we walk.

"This academy is built like Noxus is," Sadon says as we approach the door. "Most of the academy is underground, which is where you will be staying. This door leads exclusively downstairs, and the other door opposite the library leads to the upper floors, which are mostly offices and rooms for teachers. Anything through that door is off limits to students."

Sadon opens the door, and we walk through into a large stairwell winding back and forth, leading down into darkness. We begin walking down, stopping at little landings every twenty or so steps to turn around and walk down more steps. Little lanterns with flickering flames light our path, throwing menacing shadows over everything. Sadon turns around and begins walking down the stairs backwards, his sickly green eyes watching our descent.

"Speaking of off limits, I should tell you where you'll be allowed to go when you're outside. Anything to the west of the main road belongs to the military, and is strictly prohibited to students. Anything to the north leading to the beach behind the academy is fine, as is everything east. The east is mostly forest and training grounds though, and the military likes to punish their recruits by making them run along the paths. If you stay out of their way, you should be fine. Probably, anyway."

The stairs seem to go down forever, and by the time we stop a few of the others are breathing heavy. We stand on one of the landings facing a single door, the stairs continuing to wind down even further behind us. The air is cool and damp in the stairwell, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself.

"This is sub-level three, where you will be spending most of your time," Sadon says. "Each sub-level is reserved for twenty students, except for this one which is built for you leftover ten. Interactions with other groups should be kept to a minimum for now," Sadon says, opening the door and we follow through.

The door opens to reveal a long hallway shaped like a sideways T, splitting the right side in half. The right wall is bare on both halves, while the left is covered in thick mahogany doors. Five evenly spaced doors lead down to the T-intersection before stopping for two door shaped openings opposite of the other hallway, an odd fountain placed against the wall between entrances. Five more doors are on the last half of the original hall, and we begin walking down towards them. The wall's are made of almost black rock in a brickwork pattern, while the ceiling remains rough and rocky, like the builders wanted you to be reminded you were underground. Sadon walks until he stand in front of the drinking fountain and stops abruptly, turning to face us.

"These are your rooms," Sadon says, gesturing to each side of him. "Directly behind me are the bathrooms, both of which are state of the art. If you don't understand how to use some of the higher tech stuff, find someone to explain it to you," he says, walking towards us. The group splits around him and he goes down the other hallway.

The hallway is wide enough that five people could walk side by side comfortably, and it's long enough that I have to squint to see the end of it. A staircase going up is placed against the back wall. Two doors are on the right and left walls, and we slow down as we approach the first two.

"The door to my left leads to a common room for you to hang out in when you aren't training. The one to my right is just a classroom that we'll use to teach you about tactics and general things about the League." Sadon says, moving towards the next two doors.

"The staircase at the end leads to sub-level two, the biggest of them all. The lunchroom, infirmary, and a few other common rooms are up there. Wandering into the students' area up there isn't allowed, so stick to the commons. You are allowed to interact with the other students up there, just try not to get too close to them." Sadon says as we reach the final two doors, a smile creeping its way onto his face.

"The one on the right is just a storage room. What we want is through here," He says, opening the door on the left and walking through. We follow. Everyone stops near the entrance, and I find myself standing on my toes to see over them.

"Welcome to the training room. Don't touch anything," Sadon says and keeps walking. As we walk, I finally get a look at the room.

The training room is big, and it's at least twice as long as it is wide. The stone floors are covered with thick mats in certain areas, probably for some sort of hand-to-hand training. Target dummies are lined up against one part of the wall, and another has weapon racks filled with wooden practice swords and sticks. As we walk through the room, I can't help but wonder why all this is here. I mean, we're meant to be summoners, so why would they have a whole room for training? Maybe just so the Noxian students could keep their skills sharp?

We reach a door I previously hadn't seen on the back wall and go through it into a circular room with doors all along the wall. The room is completely empty, and I get an odd feeling, like something isn't quite right.

"Everyone, drop your bags off here for now," Sadon says, facing us from the center of the room. Everyone complies, and he smiles, gesturing to Fairfax. The captain walks to him and stands by his side, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. The two of them look threatening standing like that, and I can't help but feel like something is wrong. Why did they make everyone carry their stuff here if our rooms were back there?

"Some of you probably have noticed some odd things by now," Sadon begins, folding his arms. "For instance, why we haven't actually explained what you would be doing here, or why we passed your rooms when you could have dropped your stuff off. The fact of the matter is, to become a student here, you must first take a test that proves you have the potential to become a summoner. Strictly speaking, this means none of you are actually students here," Sadon says, smiling as the others stiffen in surprise.

"Except for one," Fairfax interjects blandly, causing Sadon to frown at him. My heart stops. They're talking about the magic aptitude test that I just took. They have to be. I'm the odd one out in the group already, but this will only make the target on my back bigger. My heart starts to race, and I pray Sadon won't ask who it is. Sadon looks back to us with a shrug, and I let my breath out as he opens his mouth to speak.

"Wait a minute," Edward asks angrily before Sadon can say anything. "What exactly are you trying to pull here? The letter you sent clearly said we were all accepted-"

"-as student candidates," Sadon interrupts, glaring at Edward. "Don't be so surprised, boy. You lot weren't even the first five choices. They took the test and ended up failing or dropping out afterward to become battlemages. Dumont wasn't just speaking to hear his own voice when he talked to you earlier. You lot really are the bottom of the barrel."

Edward blushes angrily but says nothing more. Elizabeth, who is standing next to him, just rolls her eyes and steps forward.

"Whatever, we get it already, alright? We just have to prove we deserve a spot here, and you'll accept us, right? Let's just get this over with then," She says, folding her arms arrogantly. Sadon just stares at her for a while, frowning in distaste.

"I agree," Jackson says in his deep voice. "We can pass whatever you throw at us."

Sadon lets out a sigh. "Very well then. Just don't be surprised when each and every one of you fails miserably. I did warn you, after all. Anyway, I'll explain the test, and then each of you will enter your own room to help you focus better."

"What about the person that already passed?" Cody blurts out. "Who is it anyway?"

"A good question," Sadon says, glancing at Fairfax. "Would the person who has already taken taken the test please stand next to us? Come now, don't be shy."

Silence follows, and everyone looks around at each other, wondering who it might be. My throat feels dry, and I can feel my hands shake slightly. I clench them into fists, and take a step forward. And then Another.

Seth gives me a surprised look as I walk past him, to the front of the group. Everyone steps out of my way as I make my way through them, like I'm a plague victim or something. I ignore their stares and step forward, standing in front of Fairfax and Sadon. Sadon raises his eyebrows for a second, before realization spreads across his face.

"Ahh, yes," he says, scratching his chin. "I forgot all Ionians take this test. Anyway, lets get on to explaining the test."

Fairfax beckons me to stand by him with a tilt of his head, and I walk over, facing my classmates. I stare at the ground in between us while Sadon explains how the aptitude test works. He gives the exact same explanation Zerick gave me except for a few more random details. I find it interesting when he says that the orbs are designed to record the results automatically, because if they do, then what was the point of Zerick being there to record my results? I remain quiet though, and Sadon finishes his explanation a few moments later.

"What did she get?" Xander asks curiously in the short silence that follows.

"You'll have to become a student first if you want to know," Fairfax says, and a few look like they want to argue, but he keeps going. "I suggest that you worry less about what she got and more about passing."

"I agree," Sadon says, clapping his hands together before anyone can say something else. "So how about we get this thing started."

Sadon ushers them all to individual rooms and when he's done, he turns to Fairfax and I, looking very annoyed. Fairfax just gives him a nod, and Sadon lets out a dark sounding chuckle.

"There," he says, his voice quivering with anger. "I pretended to be the nice and friendly tour guide, just like you and Dumont wanted. Void take me, if they interrupted me one more time though…"

"You would have done nothing," Fairfax says pointedly. "Because you can only discipline actual students. I'm well aware of why you are here, but using your… "methods" this early would only cause us more headaches in the long run."

"True enough," Sadon says with a sigh. "But tomorrow is a different story, and then _I'll_ be in charge of how these students are disciplined." He says, smiling, and I feel a shiver creep its way down my spine. Fairfax just frowns slightly at him, but says nothing.

"Anyway," Sadon continues, "The real question is what we should have the girl do while we wait."

He never looks at me or even acknowledges my presence, so I stay quiet. He seems unstable, more so than the average Noxian anyway, and I don't want to be the first to experience whatever "methods" Fairfax was talking about. I think the captain would stop him from doing anything drastic, but he didn't argue when Sadon said he was going to be in charge starting tomorrow…

"You hungry?" Fairfax asks, turning to me and breaking my intense thoughts. The second he asks that, I feel my stomach gurgle, and I end up nodding, slightly embarrassed. I had forgotten how hungry using magic made me afterwards, and I guess I really haven't eaten since the test. Fairfax points to the door with a little smile on his face.

"The cooks in the lunchroom have some food ready. Go get something to eat and come back in ten minutes or so," He says, and I move to obey. Sadon says nothing, but this time I can feel his eyes on my back as I leave.

I close the door behind me and being walking down the length of the training room. My heartbeat begins to slow, and my anxiety begins to slowly dissolve. Just as I enter the hallway though, exhaustion along with a torrent of emotions hit me suddenly, and I end up leaning my side against the wall, touching my fingertips lightly to my head. I was worried about this training, but that doesn't seem to matter anymore now that I know Fairfax is going to be one of the teachers. He would protect me. I feel a laugh being to bubble inside of me. Oh how things have changed so quickly…

The laugh turns into a sob a second later, and I find myself throwing my hand over my mouth as tears begin to blur my vision. Loneliness pounds into me like a war hammer, and I end up letting out a muffled groan, sinking to my knees. My friends are all gone now, if I can even call them that in the first place. I sometimes wonder if they really were my friends, or just pitied me enough to pretend for awhile…

Then there's my family. Fairfax said I would get to see them again, but what if he was wrong? Even if I do get to see them, what will I say? Hi everyone, I know I left without saying a word, but I'm actually doing fine. Oh, and by the way, I'm training to become a summoner for Noxus. You know, the people that invaded us, killed our people, killed our _father_, beat us down, and… and…

I stop fighting the tears, letting them fall as I sob quietly to myself. Why am I so weak? This is what I wanted, isn't it? To learn to control my magic once and for all. To get stronger. So why am I crying? I used to be weak, but I _can't _be, not now. Magic is the one thing that I know I'm better than anyone else at, and this is where I can prove it. I got into this academy, which is more than _any_ Ionian was able to do before me. I am stronger now. I have to be.

I stand up, wiping my face with my sleeves. I don't have to be afraid here. Fairfax said that it was prohibited to duel students. Not only that, but we're supposed to be training to become summoners. It wouldn't make any sense for us to do anything but train in magic. And magic is the one thing I have plenty of.

A few other things keep nagging at the back of my mind, but I ignore them and walk to the stairs going up to sub-level two. I can't afford to be distracted right now.

The stairs lead up to a small landing area with a door behind me. I push it open and enter a hallway with a few marked doors on either side. One says _To Sub-level One_, so I ignore that, walking down the hall. I pass two more, marked _Teacher's Quarters_ and _Infirmary_, and reach the last door, looking towards its name plate. _Cafeteria_. I enter.

The room is huge and vaguely dome shaped, filled with with enough tables to sit around a hundred people. I walk towards a long counter, looking for for anyone, but the room appears to be entirely empty. Upon reaching what I assume to be the serving counter, I stop in my tracks, and my jaw drops to the floor.

Food. So much food.

The serving counter has little inlets for metal pots and pans, and all of them are filled to the brim with different foods. Rice, roasted chicken, pork, soups and broths of all kinds, different types of salads, fruit, bread, pastries, and everything in between. All the foods are cooked in different styles too, from traditional Ionian to the latest cuisines from Piltover. I can even see a few bottles of the alcoholic Graggy Ice at the end. I grab a plate, and move down the counter, grabbing anything that I recognize and like. It feels weird, helping myself to all this food, but Fairfax told me it was okay. My stomach seems fine with the decision too, so it doesn't bother me too much.

I eat all my food as quick as possible, half in part because of my hunger and half because I know I need to be back in ten minutes. The food is absolutely delicious, and I end up deciding to get seconds. Once I finish, I put my dishes on a tray at the end of the counter. I feel stuffed, and after taking one last look around the room, I leave, heading back to the testing room.

When I open the door to the room, everyone is waiting for me. Fairfax, Sadon, and Dumont all stand talking quietly amongst themselves while everyone else stands in a loose group on the other side of them. They all look exhausted, and Seth must have been the last to finish because he is still breathing heavy and is swaying on his feet, his eyes unfocused. A flash of sympathy shoots through my heart, but it disappears quickly. I walk over and join the loose group, standing next to Molly and Xander who seem too tired to notice me. Molly is sitting against the wall and Xander looks like he's sleeping on his feet.

After a few more seconds of whispering, the teachers seem to reach a consensus, and they turn to face us, a serious expression on their faces. I try to catch Fairfax's gaze, but he just stares blankly into our group, and worry begins gnawing at me. Why won't he look at me? Did they do better than he expected? Dumont clears his throat.

"Well now," Dumont begins, sweeping his gaze across us. "That went about as I expected. The good news is that everyone here is going to be a student. As I go through all of your results, you'll see what exactly the bad news is."

Everyone seems unsure of whether to smile or frown at his statement, so most of them just stand still and wait. I see worry flash across some of their faces, but most of the harder looking Noxians seem stubbornly proud, keeping their faces blank. Dumont points a finger, and I feel a whisper of magic brush across my senses. A small blue square appears where his finger was. I can barely make out writing on the square, but it looks backwards from where I look.

"A quick reminder," Fairfax says while Dumont squints at the writing. "Even though you only spent a few minutes taking the test, the orb is designed to slowly ramp up the magic required to power it. We will be giving you the actual time you could have powered the orb if the requirement stayed constant. The actual time makes up half of your score, while your overall potential is the second part. Overall potential measures how strong of a mage you could become by the end of your training here. Keep in mind it doesn't measure your total potential, so it's possible you could achieve a longer time by working hard."

"To become a student," Dumont says, looking up from the screen, "You must either pass both requirements in actual time and overall potential, or at least excel in one of the categories. The required times are one hour for actual, and six hours for potential. I'll let you guess as to which most of you passed by."

I begin to wonder how I got in. Ideally, I would have passed both requirements, but it's possible I only got the overall potential. It wouldn't be the first time I overestimated my own power. I the back of my neck, and shake my head. I need to focus right now, not be thinking of _that_.

"The order we go through these names is randomized." Dumont continues. "We'll start with Xander Declan. Your actual time was thirty-one minutes. Your potential was measured at eight hours and fifteen minutes."

Xander frowns at his time, but stays quiet as Dumont moves on.

"Devon. Actual time was forty-two minutes. Potential is eleven hours and thirty minutes."

He makes no expression either way, but somehow I have a feeling that he's surprised by the way his eyes shift.

"Elizabeth Montfort. You achieved forty-five minutes. Potential is twelve hours and fifteen minutes. Edward Montfort achieved forty minutes with a potential of eleven hours."

Elizabeth has a sour look on her face, and Edward stiffens in surprise, giving a quick glance to his sister before looking away. Is he jealous that his younger sister did better than him or just surprised?

"Jackson Garnet. Thirty-five minutes with a potential of nine hours."

He doesn't even flinch.

"Molly Rennes. You had the lowest score with a time of twenty minutes and potential of seven hours."

A few people glance at her and she keeps staring at the floor, trying to ignore them.

"Alexander Findel. Actual time was forty-seven minutes. Potential of thirteen hours."

He smiles at this, and is looks visibly relieved. He is the best out of all of them so far, which makes me glad. He seems like he might be the nicest, so he might not target me first.

"Cody Kain. Actual time of forty minutes and potential of twelve hours."

He smiles arrogantly, and it isn't hard to figure out why. He got the same time as Edward but a higher potential. Noxians are always competing, even if they're friends.

"And finally, we have Seth Durandal. Actual time of fifty-five minutes and a potential of fourteen hours and thirty minutes."

I see Seth stiffen in surprise out of the corner of my eye. Out of all of them, he got the best time. I'm not sure what to think of him yet, but something about him makes me weary. A lot of the other students are giving him a second glance, but most of them don't seem too surprised. Do they all somehow know each other?

"Does anyone have questions about their scores?" Dumont asks, looking up at us. I feel a flutter of hope rise in my chest. Maybe now that everyone's tired they won't remember to ask what my score is.

"What did the Ionian get?" Cody asks, and my fluttering hope turns to a fluttering nervousness.

"Oh, yes, I had almost forgotten," Dumont says, and he flicks the blue square in front of him a few times until the writing changes.

"Yes, here we are. Aria Kessler. Your times were…" He slowly trails off, and then looks to Fairfax. "Are these times correct?"

His voice sounds darker and more serious, and I begin to panic. What if I didn't pass the test at all? What if Fairfax just used some favors to get me here. From what I've seen of Dumont so far, there's no way he would accept that. Even though he made it sound like most of the other Noxians here got in because of politics, they at least passed their test. He would _loathe _me if I got in and didn't pass. Not to mention what unstable Sadon might do…

Fairfax leans over to the square and squints at where Dumont points. He frowns before pulling out a small notebook, similar to the one Zerick had. He opens it up and starts flipping through pages.

"Don't worry," A voice whispers from next to me, and I stiffen in surprise as Cody continues speaking in a mocking tone. "Dumont did say we were the bottom of the barrel. I'm sure your powerful friend up there will fix things right up so you can train with the rest of us."

I don't know when he crept so close to me or how he managed to do it so quietly, and I end up flinching away from him. He smiles, and takes a step closer to me, a hand hidden behind his back. I tense up, and reach out towards my magic, calling up whatever power I have. Whatever he does next, I'll be able to react first. There's no way he can move faster than the speed of thought, especially if I have my power ready for him.

"Cody," Fairfax says from across the room in a calm voice, holding up the notebook to compare something with the magic square. "I wouldn't provoke her if I were you. Or me for that matter."

"What?" Cody spits back. "I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking. It's not my fault you have to fix her results so she can stay here."

Silence echoes across the room, and I can all but touch the tension as it follows Cody's accusation. Dumont points something out to Fairfax on the screen, and Fairfax looks back between the book and screen for a second before Dumont lets the screen disappear. Fairfax closes his book and puts it back in his pocket, looking silently at Cody for a few seconds. Next to him, Sadon suddenly breaks out into laughter, and everyone stays deathly still.

"Oh dear…" Sadon says, still chuckling to himself. "You just made a huge mistake, _boy_. Dumont wanted to see the results Fairfax brought because the ones he had seemed too ridiculous to be true. The problem wasn't whether she passed or not, but by _how_ much."

"Aria Kessler," Dumont says tiredly. "Your actual time was seven hours and twenty-four minutes. Your potential was too high for the orb to measure accurately, so you were given just a potential time of at least twenty-four hours."

"So you see, Fairfax was telling the truth," Sadon says, still chuckling. "You _really_ don't want to mess with her."

Cody opens his mouth to speak, but Fairfax sweeps his cloak back, putting his hand on his sword. His eyes somehow grow even more intense, like only a Noxian's can, and Cody goes _very_ still.

"If I remember correctly," the captain murmurs. "You also said I changed her results to get her in. Let me make something clear. There is nothing more important to me than my honor, and if any of you ever insult my honor again, then I _will_ defend it. Violently. Are we clear?"

Cody clenches his teeth, seething in rage and embarrassment, but says nothing. Everyone else is quiet too, and I feel a fierce sense of triumph surge through me. I release the meager amount of power I called up as Dumont clears his throat, breaking the tension.

"Now that we're done with that," He begins, like nothing happened. "Let's get on to how this academy will work. Do to how weak most of you are in magic, we'll begin with a training regiment. The training will be both physical and mental and split into three phases. Each phase will last until we feel you are sufficiently trained. After the first month or so of this training, we will switch to training you in the actual arts of summoning. Questions so far?"

There are none, so he continues.

"You will be training every day except for Sundays, where you will be allowed to visit the city. Leaving the city is strictly prohibited and will be seen as a sign of quitting. Every day will start the exact same way except for your free days. Breakfast will be served at eight, and you will be expected in the training room by nine. Training will last until six with Lunch served at noon, and supper will be at seven. What you do in your free time is up to you, but be warned there is a curfew at eleven pm. Anyone caught outside of the academy after this time will be severely punished."

Dumont looks around for any questions, but everyone seems to understand so far. He takes a look at his watch before continuing.

"Good. You are now free to do as you please. There's food prepared for you up in the lunchroom. First, though, I recommend you drop your things off in your rooms. Your rooms are ordered based on how you scored, with the highest score getting the room furthest from the stairs and the lowest score getting the closest one. It's already nine-thirty, so I suggest you hurry and get to bed have a big day tomorrow."

With that, he leaves the room, Fairfax and Sadon following close behind. Once they're gone, everyone seems to relax a little. They pick up their bags and head out of the room. Elizabeth, Edward, and Cody all shoot me venomous looks as they leave, but I ignore them. Alex hurries out after them, giving me a small smile as he leaves. The rest of them exit silently, and I wait for a few seconds, letting them get a head start.

After waiting for a minute or two, I head out towards my room. I don't meet any of them in the hallway thankfully, but I'm curious how we'll be living for the next few months, so I end up hurrying to the last door. I open it and walk in, lights turning on the second I step in. I close the door behind me, and look around.

The room is a decently sized rectangle separated into two parts by a wall and opening without a door. The first half is a sort of living room with a couch against the left wall and a desk and chair against the right. The second half is the sleeping area which has a simple looking bed and nightstand against the left wall with a closet on the right. I open up the closet, and am greeted by the sight of uniforms hanging on the walls. The right side has a whole bunch that look like the one I'm currently wearing except they have an intricate pattern of red lines across the whole blazer instead of just the back. The left wall has four pairs of grey, loose-fitting workout clothes. They all oddly look like they fit me exactly, but when I take a step forward to inspect them, my foot hits something sturdy.

On the floor is a wooden chest with a note on it. I pick up the piece of paper and squint at the flowing handwriting.

_Aria,_

_If you are reading this, then you have most likely passed the Aptitude test and are at the new summoning school. Words cannot express how happy I am for you right now. I always knew you were destined for great things, and I am so proud that you are following your calling. I know that training at this Noxian academy will be tough for you, but stay strong and take heart. I have watched you practice magic since you were little, and I can safely say none of them will be able to give you much of a challenge as long as you are careful. I will never stop believing in you, and I pray for your safe return and inevitable success. _

_I have packed some clothes and other belongings of yours into this chest that I've entrusted with Captain Fairfax's guards. If you need anything else, send me a letter or come visit the house if at all possible. There are some things I need to tell you, and I'm sure your brothers would feel much better after seeing you (along with me, for that matter). Please visit quickly. I miss you already._

_Love, Mom_

_PS: A few vials of the medicine we used to give you are packed within the chest. If you feel the symptoms come on, drink half a vial at a time. I know you haven't taken it in awhile, but I just wanted to send them just in case._

A spot suddenly appears on the note, and then another as I continue staring at it. It takes me a second to realize I'm crying. I use my sleeve to wipe away the tears as I reread the note. I finally put it down after the fourth or fifth time, and sit on the bed sniffing and wiping away more tears.

How could I have lost faith in my family? Of course they understood. This wasn't how I wanted everything to play out, but I certainly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. I was going to make the best out of this bad situation if at all possible. Not to mention, I have a feeling about this academy. It's not going to be like my school, where the threat of Noxian students was constantly looming. They couldn't duel me, so at worst they could glare at me and give some petty insults. Even if they weren't honorable and did try something, as long as I was careful and stayed within the academy Fairfax would make sure they behaved.

This is my chance to regain everything I've lost. Maybe my last.

I get up and pull the chest to the end of the bed. It's somewhat large and heavy, and it takes me a few tries, but I finally get it over and opened up. On the top is a large, black leather violin case, and I smile. I can all but here mom reminding me to keep up with practicing it. I take it out, and after a few second of deliberation, put it under my bed. I didn't see a lock on my door, so I need to be careful where I leave my things. The next thing in my chest really surprises me.

A cloth covering twenty-nine inches long lays on top of stacks of clothing. I pick it up carefully, and pull out my sword from the covering carefully. The sheath is wooden with a glossy black color. The guard is a circular ring with thin metal lines connecting it to the blade, creating a snowflake pattern within the outer circle. The handle is squared and long enough to easily accommodate two hands. It's also made of black wood like the sheath and has a deep blue silk wrap around it to provide better grip. I lift up the familiar weight of my katana, and stare at it for awhile.

This was one of the few things I still had of my father's. Dad died fighting in the war when I was little, but before he had left for the war, he made my brother and I weapons. He was a master smith, and my mom even admitted that she wasn't close to his masterwork. He used a rare Ionian technique called "spell-forging", where magic was infused into the blade during its creation. I was told that no matter how many times I swung my katana, it would never break or get dull so long as I continually supplied it with energy. This is easily my most valuable possessions, and whenever I look at it, I can't help but feel a mixture of pride and sorrow.

I reach out with my senses and do a quick check of how much energy is stored inside. Just brushing up against the spell's power source sends a jolt through me and I back away. For as long as I can remember, I've always put the remainder of my mana into the spell before I went to bed. I don't actually know if theres a limit to how much power can be put in, but I'm interested to find out.

The spell-forged blade was unlike normal spells. Normally, spells "feel" like a webwork of energy with little spots where the lines connect, representing things like the spell's function and power source. The sword felt completely different. The whole sword had a webwork so thick that the entire sword might as well be a spell itself. If I closed my eyes and reached out my senses, the entire sword would light up in my mind and I could see every little detail. The whole thing had no holes like the normal pattern of a spell, or any spots of concentrated energy either. The entire thing was beyond even _my_ knowledge, which was a little scary.

I end up putting the sword on the clothes rack in the closet. I figure if anyone's snooping through my clothes, I'll have bigger problems than who took my sword. The rest of the things in the trunk are just clothes and five finger-length vials of medicine. The medicine is a red, thick liquid that tastes… well I guess it tastes pretty good, especially compared to most medicines, but still. It's the principle of the thing.

I put the vials on the desk along with the letter, and end up moving my violin back into the chest. A quick whisper of power from me, and the chest is locked by a simple spell. Even that much magic ends up being too much though, and I find myself sitting on the bed, looking around my new room.

After a few second of catching my breath, I nod to myself and grab some comfortable night clothes from the closet. I head out towards the bathrooms. There's still no one else in the halls, probably because they're still feasting up in the lunchroom. I walk into the bathroom, and take a quick look around. The bathroom has four changing rooms that lead to showers, both of which are separated by plastic curtains. There's also three huge baths that could easily fit four people, and each is separated by an actual wall and entryway. The only other thing in the room is four toilets and some sinks along one wall with a giant mirror above them.

All of this is slightly odd to me, as Ionia is mostly more traditional and uses little technology. The city-state of Piltover is the main reason for most of these technological improvements, like the advanced plumbing, but this is one of the first times I've ever seen their strange technology and magic combination they call techmaturgy. So far, I can't help but be impressed. I step into one of the changing rooms and close the curtain behind me.

It takes me a few tries to figure out the different knobs of the shower, and I end up scalding myself a few times before I get the water just hot enough. It sprays down from the faucet, and steam slowly starts forming. I take a step in and…

Oh. Wow. Like, _wow_. No wonder people thought Ionians were too old fashioned. It's because we totally are. Why would anyone _not_ want to have showers? I'm pretty sure it's a crime to be deprived of something that feels _this_ good. I mean, seriously…

I finish my shower in a quick thirty minutes and change into my night clothes, using the towel in the changing room to dry off. Inside the changing room is a little slot marked _Laundry_, and I put my clothes in and press the button next to it. The slot makes a whirring sound, and moves up, disappearing into the wall and being replaced by another slot. Impressive. I guess not having to do your own laundry is one of the perks of being a student in a special academy. I could definitely get used to this.

I grab my shoes and walk barefoot out of the bathroom, taking a sharp turn towards my room. Edward is in the hallway, and he stalks deliberately towards me the second he sees me. I stare straight ahead, and try to ignore the cold fear prickling over my skin underneath my loose shirt and pants.

"Hey, Ionian," he calls out, but I ignore him and keep walking hurriedly towards my room. He takes a few quick steps and catches up to me though, knocking my shoes to the ground with his hand as he passes. I keep walking, deciding to ignore my shoes for the moment, but he slams an arm against the wall in front of me, blocking my path. I finally look up into a very angry looking face.

"Ignoring me isn't going to work," he says, his eyes darting across my face, looking for any kind of weakness.

My heart is pounding but I ignore it and try to think rationally. He _can't_ hurt me. We're on even ground, and I need to show him that. So I just stare right back at him, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrow questioningly.

"You stupid little… " he begins, gritting his teeth together. "Listen here. I don't know what you _think_ you know, but your chances of succeeding here are low enough that you might as well quit, alright? You're just a weak little Ionian girl who thinks she's all that. Not to mention, only ten percent of the summoners accepted are from Noxus, and of all the summoners accepted, only ten percent are girls. You don't stand a chance, especially against all of us. So I'll give you this one chance to leave and never come back. If you don't, I promise to make it my mission to destroy you, understand?"

I stare up at him, unmoving and the chilly air in the hallway raises goosebumps on my skin. I try to think of something witty to say, but my brain feels sluggish and exhausted. Maybe something simple would be better.

"Now that you're done trying to scare me, can I go?" I ask nonchalantly, stifling a yawn. " 'Cause I'm really, _really_ tired."

"Fine," He spits out, his face turning a hateful red. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, he stalks past me to his room, brushing past me as he leaves. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. I slowly get myself back under control, and I turn around to pick up my shoes only to be greeted by Alex, staring timidly from underneath his blond hair.

"Here," he says, looking away and holding out my shoes to me.

"Thanks," I say, grabbing them softly. I turn to go, but he coughs lightly and I stop.

"Hey look," he says, rubbing his arm. "Not all of us Noxians are like that. I know you probably don't think very highly of us but… some of us are different, ya know? So if you ever need anything, just feel free to ask, alright? I'll talk to him and see if I can't get him to stop."

I blink at the sincerity behind his soft words. I'm not sure what to say, so I just nod at him and smile. He nods, and we both walk away to our rooms. I walk past the second room, but as I do I hear it softly click shut. I frown. That should be Seth's room according to our rankings. He seemed nice like Alex, so why was he listening in? Was he just curious about the commotion Edward caused, or was it something else?

I shake my head. I'm not going to get any answers by standing around doing nothing, and I'm too tired to do any more politicking today. I walk into my room and drop my shoes in the closet before crawling underneath my bed covers. I click a little switch on the wall, and the lights turn off except for a little glass clock on the stand next to the bed with blue glowing numbers. It takes a little bit of tinkering, but I figure out after a while how to not only turn off the light, but also set an alarm to wake me up at seven. Seriously, Piltover must be the most convenient place to live _ever_. This technology…

I slowly drift off into sleep, letting my mind wander. My thoughts keep coming back to the weird dream memory I had when I fainted, but eventually I give up. Whatever it was, it can wait a little longer to be figured out. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to give me a good idea of what I can expect from a normal day at this academy, and I can't help but feel a little excited.

My thoughts start blurring together, and sleep overtakes me.


End file.
